HK Unlisted So-Called Dollar: 1893 Columbian Expo Agriculture Building in Aluminum - HK-159b?

Zoins

Here's a great unlisted So-Called Dollar that just sold.

I don't see this in HK or John @JRay123's site. Is this in Eglit?

I was the underbidder on it. I would have liked to have won it, but someone wanted it more than me. Anyone here win this?

Have any other collectors taken on the challenge of the full Columbian Expo set since Tom @tmot99?

mketom57 said:
This is an unlisted So-Called Dollar from the 1893 Columbian Exposition. Across the building are the words Horticultural Building with the date below of 1893. The reverse says this medal is made of Aluminum. The obverse is not listed in the HK book. The reverse is listed, number HK159a. The piece is made of aluminum, 37mm. It is also unlisted in Eglit.

photo credits: mketom57

Zoins

While the seller of the specimen above said it wasn't listed in Eglit.

I just found the following which indicates it's cataloged as Eglit-32 and rated R6.

photo credits: trakt2014

ricko

Good work... At one time, aluminum was indeed considered a 'miracle metal'... Not so much anymore. However, it is found throughout our homes and businesses in so many forms. So, it seems it fulfilled expectations of the early times. Cheers, RickO

tokenpro

@Zoins said:
While the seller of the specimen above said it wasn't listed in Eglit.

I just found the following which indicates it's cataloged as Eglit-32 and rated R6.

photo credits: trakt2014

@Zoins said:
While the seller of the specimen above said it wasn't listed in Eglit.

I just found the following which indicates it's cataloged as Eglit-32 and rated R6.

photo credits: trakt2014

You may want to double check your sources (always a good thing) -- Eglit-32 is a celluloid pinback button and Eglit listings do not carry rarity numbers.

Zoins

@ricko said:
Good work... At one time, aluminum was indeed considered a 'miracle metal'... Not so much anymore. However, it is found throughout our homes and businesses in so many forms. So, it seems it fulfilled expectations of the early times. Cheers, RickO

Yes, it's found throughout our homes. Is titanium the miracle metal now?

Zoins

@Zoins said:
While the seller of the specimen above said it wasn't listed in Eglit.

I just found the following which indicates it's cataloged as Eglit-32 and rated R6.

photo credits: trakt2014

You may want to double check your sources (always a good thing) -- Eglit-32 is a celluloid pinback button and Eglit listings do not carry rarity numbers.

Thanks for mentioning that. Too bad the post wasn't accurate, but on the flip side, if it is unlisted in HK, Eglit and John's site, it's certainly more interesting. I wonder if Jeff and Bill will have it in their new guides.

Jzyskowski1

Dang it 😂 wrong thread. Sorry

tokenpro

@Zoins said:

@Zoins said:
While the seller of the specimen above said it wasn't listed in Eglit.

I just found the following which indicates it's cataloged as Eglit-32 and rated R6.

photo credits: trakt2014

You may want to double check your sources (always a good thing) -- Eglit-32 is a celluloid pinback button and Eglit listings do not carry rarity numbers.

Thanks for mentioning that. Too bad the post wasn't accurate, but on the flip side, if it is unlisted in HK, Eglit and John's site, it's certainly more interesting. I wonder if Jeff and Bill will have it in their new guides.

It's not a discovery piece as I recall seeing that combination offered at least once in (IIRC) either a Kirtley or a TMC sale back in the '90's. The various New Metal Aluminum reverses were used on a number of HK-unlisted pieces (as auctions, updates & John Raymond's list show) as well as a number of non-Columbian Expo storecards from around the country. The use of those reverses does not necessarily make those pieces So-Called $, of course.

Zoins

@tokenpro said:

@Zoins said:

@Zoins said:
While the seller of the specimen above said it wasn't listed in Eglit.

I just found the following which indicates it's cataloged as Eglit-32 and rated R6.

photo credits: trakt2014

You may want to double check your sources (always a good thing) -- Eglit-32 is a celluloid pinback button and Eglit listings do not carry rarity numbers.

Thanks for mentioning that. Too bad the post wasn't accurate, but on the flip side, if it is unlisted in HK, Eglit and John's site, it's certainly more interesting. I wonder if Jeff and Bill will have it in their new guides.

It's not a discovery piece as I recall seeing that combination offered at least once in (IIRC) either a Kirtley or a TMC sale back in the '90's. The various New Metal Aluminum reverses were used on a number of HK-unlisted pieces (as auctions, updates & John Raymond's list show) as well as a number of non-Columbian Expo storecards from around the country. The use of those reverses does not necessarily make those pieces So-Called $, of course.

Agreed that not all the New Metal Aluminum pieces are So-Called Dollars. Some are event store cards which are fun to collect as an offshoot of So-Called $, perhaps So-Called $ Storecards? These store cards were actually my presentation topic at the last So-Called Dollar Fellowship Gathering.

As for this piece, I think it qualifies as a So-Called Dollar as it shows a building at the expo (a popular theme with So-Called $). It also has the same reverse as HK-159a. Hopefully, this will get an HK number assigned to it, HK-159b? It would be great to list it on the following page @jonathanb

https://so-calleddollars.com/New_Discoveries.html

JRay123

It is #184 within my World Columbian section at: https://www.socalleddollar.com/worldcol.html. I have it described as extremely rare in anything above VF. It is possible though that I may have overstated the rarity a bit, but it is still not an easy find. The distinction between very rare and extremely rare(R-7 to R-9) is actually a difficult one sometimes. There are some so called dollars that I have maybe seen one or two of in twenty years. Then in a period of one year I see three. But then I never see any again after that. I saw this one on ebay but was unsure of it's condition due to surfaces that looked cloudy, but it may have had something to do with the photography.

Zoins

@JRay123 said:
It is #184 within my World Columbian section at: https://www.socalleddollar.com/worldcol.html. I have it described as extremely rare in anything above VF. It is possible though that I may have overstated the rarity a bit, but it is still not an easy find. The distinction between very rare and extremely rare(R-7 to R-9) is actually a difficult one sometimes. There are some so called dollars that I have maybe seen one or two of in twenty years. Then in a period of one year I see three. But then I never see any again after that. I saw this one on ebay but was unsure of it's condition due to surfaces that looked cloudy, but it may have had something to do with the photography.

Thanks for the info John!

Nice description and photo. That's a great specimen!

Here's the info and photo to entice more people to visit your site

@JRay123 said:
184) Building with central dome. Half globe under building. Horticultural Building between building and globe. 1893 split to the left and right of globe. Rv: Open Wreath. This Medal Is Made Of The Wonderful Metal around outside. Aluminum Tasteless Odorless Ductile Untarnishable Malleable in six lines within wreath with Aluminum curved. /// Very rare, but Extremely rare in any condition above very fine / 37.1 mm / Combines the reverse of HK159a in the second edition with an obverse not in HK.

Do you know what these initials are after the "G" in BUILDING?