1955 So-Called Dollar HK-707, Gnaden Huetten Massacre

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged as HK-707, this 1955 so-called dollar commemorates Gnaden Huetten Massacre in Pennsylvania. Personal commemorative so-called dollars provide a medallic portrait gallery of Americans whose achievements merited recognition through specially struck pieces, preserving the faces and stories of notable 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. 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. Pennsylvania's role as the cradle of American independence and its position as a major industrial state generated a rich tradition of commemorative medal production, with Philadelphia serving as both the political and medallic capital of the early republic. 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 postwar boom of 1950-1976 was the golden age of local commemorative medal production, with the Heraldic Art Company and other manufacturers producing hundreds of pieces for community celebrations across America.

Rarity Notes

Local commemorative so-called dollars from the mid-20th century survive in varying quantities. Examples of HK-707 are scarce in the numismatic market.

Cross References

HK-707; PCGS #643313