1939 So-Called Dollar HK-739, Dodge Brothers

Coin Details

Auction Record

$58 MS62 02-03-2009 Goldberg Auctioneers

Description

Cataloged as HK-739, this 1939 so-called dollar commemorates Dodge Brothers in Michigan. The tradition of honoring individuals with commemorative medals extends from formal congressional gold medals to locally produced pieces celebrating community leaders, educators, and benefactors. Struck in bronze, this piece combines durability with an attractive warm tone that deepens with age into a rich chocolate-brown patina. Bronze was the preferred composition for many commemorative medals due to its excellent detail retention. In 1930, MACO's owner Clyde Curlee Trees co-founded the Society of Medalists, launching the longest-running art medal series in American history with 129 issues through 1995 by sculptors including Laura Gardin Fraser and Paul Manship. 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. The 1930s-1940s produced fewer local commemorative medals than adjacent decades, but the pieces that were issued often carry particular historical significance as documents of community resilience during Depression and war.

Rarity Notes

HK-739 is scarce among so-called dollar collectors. Local commemorative medals from the interwar period were typically produced in limited quantities for distribution at the celebration event.

Cross References

HK-739; PCGS #643395