Columbian Expo Liberty Head So-Called Dollars: HK-220, HK-220a, HK-221
mattniss
Posts: 705 ✭✭✭✭
While I'm predominantly a collector of US coinage, I've also always loved So-Called Dollars. Thought it would be cool to share these three progressively tougher SCD's, graded and catalogued by NGC.
These are all from Wilhelm Mayer's Liberty Head Dollar series from the 1892 - 1893 World's Columbian Expo. These SCD's were made in both high and low relief options and used five different metal types: bronze, gilt, silver, aluminum, and white metal. The high relief options are more common than the rarely found low relief options, and the bronze and aluminum are more common than the gilt, silver, and white metal.
1) NGC PF65BN - HK-220 (Eglit-51A) High Relief in Bronze
Approximately 58 slabbed population across PCGS & NGC. 53 are mint state, with the highest graded being a sole MS67BN at NGC. Only 5 are graded as proof per pop reports, with this example being 1 of 2 PF65BN's with only 2 graded higher at NGC. Only the aluminum version in high relief has a higher total surviving population.
2) NGC PF64UCAM - HK-221 (Eglit-51) High Relief in Gilt
Second finest known. Approximately 10 known in existence graded across PCGS & NGC. 5 are mint state, with the highest examples graded 63. 2 are proof-like, with the two examples both graded 65PL. Only 3 gilt high relief coins in existence are graded as PF UCAM, and this coin is the sole PF64UCAM with only one example graded higher at PF66UCAM which I don't believe has ever come to auction.
3) NGC AU50 - HK-220a Low Relief in Bronze
Discovery coin, now third finest known but first ever to be graded by a TPG. With 1 at PCGS and 2 at NGC, this is the rarest combination (low relief in Bronze) in the entire series that was made by Wilhelm Mayer. The lowest graded example is now this coin at AU50. The second finest example was made by forum member @keets in 2021 at AU55BN and I believe was later sold in 2023 in a private transaction. The finest known example is the sole mint state example at MS61BN and it sold at Heritage in 2021.
I have these posted on the BST (all pricing information there only, please don't ask here), but wanted to share these here for education and awareness of some amazing SCD's that are out there.
Comments
I got to see the silver version of these at a show recently. It was graded by NGC, MS63 I believe.
Very cool! You don't see the silver version out in the wild very often. Certainly less than 10 surviving examples between graded and raw.