1939 HK-494a, Aluminum North Carolina Dollar

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged as HK-494a, this 1939 so-called dollar honors North Carolina. The medal-issuing tradition in this era drew on European precedents, with 51 gold Erie Canal medals presented to dignitaries including Lafayette and three surviving signers of the Declaration of Independence. Aluminum so-called dollars, while lighter than their traditional-metal counterparts, maintain sharp design detail due to the metal's excellent die-filling properties under pressure. Early commemorative medals were produced in small quantities by private die sinkers, with white metal and copper being the most common compositions. Distribution was typically limited to event participants and subscribers. Harold Hibler and Charles Kappen spent decades cataloging American dollar-sized medals, creating a reference work that transformed a scattered collecting field into an organized numismatic specialty. This piece is a variant of HK-494, distinguished by differences in composition, die state, or striking characteristics that merit a separate catalog entry in the Hibler-Kappen reference.

Rarity Notes

Aluminum strikings of HK-494a are moderately scarce. Interwar period medals were often distributed at events, with many entering circulation as pocket pieces rather than being preserved as collectibles.

Cross References

HK-494a; PCGS #686192