1959 HK-543, CO Centennial "Gold" Nugget Dollar

Coin Details

Description

HK-543 is a 1959 so-called dollar commemorating CO Centennial "" Nugget. The 1939-1940 New York World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, organized around 'Building the World of Tomorrow,' featured the 610-foot Trylon spire, the 180-foot Perisphere, and introduced television and nylon to the American public. Struck in gold, this piece represents the most prestigious and rarest composition for so-called dollars. Gold strikings were reserved for presentation copies, typically produced in quantities of fewer than a dozen for dignitaries and officials. Later exposition medals were produced by a mix of U.S. Mint issues and private manufacturers, with many struck in lower quantities than the great 19th-century fairs. The Century of Progress and New York World's Fair generated the most varieties. 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.

Rarity Notes

Examples of HK-543 are rare to extremely rare among so-called dollar collectors. Post-war era commemorative medals survive in varying numbers depending on original mintage and subsequent preservation.

Cross References

HK-543; PCGS #642922; NGC #850880