1941 So-Called Dollar HK-740, Paramount Pictures

Coin Details

Description

Designated HK-740 in the Hibler-Kappen catalog, this 1941 piece commemorates Paramount Pictures in California. Commemorative medals honoring individuals have been part of American medallic tradition since the nation's founding, with subjects ranging from presidents and military heroes to local civic leaders and cultural figures. This bronze so-called dollar represents the standard commemorative medal composition of its era. Bronze pieces were often the primary production run, with silver reserved for presentation copies and white metal for budget editions. After relocations from Manhattan to Danbury, Connecticut (1972), Sioux Falls, South Dakota (1991), and Dayton, Nevada (1997), the company's archive of 50,000 items including 20,000 dies was rescued by the American Numismatic Society in 2018. California's dramatic history — from the Gold Rush through the San Francisco earthquake to its emergence as America's most populous state — generated commemorative medals documenting the rapid transformation of the Pacific Coast. 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. Local commemoratives from the Depression and wartime era (1930-1950) reflect both economic hardship and patriotic fervor, with communities marking milestones despite — or perhaps because of — the challenging times.

Rarity Notes

Local commemorative so-called dollars from the interwar period survive in varying quantities. Examples of HK-740 are scarce in the numismatic market.

Cross References

HK-740; PCGS #643401