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tmot99tmot99 Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭
Today, I found another large lot of so-called dollars that I purchased. Although there are a lot of pieces (9 shown), these are just the cream of the crop either in condition or rarity. Rather than just throw up some pictures with HK numbers to make Marty jealous, I thought I’d spend a little more time with each one to give some history of it.

The US Centennial Exposition was held in Philadelphia in 1876. It ran from May 10 to November 10. Almost 10,000,000 people attended. The official medals were minted in 2 sizes. The smaller versions are listed in the HK book. The smaller issues were made in silver, bronze, and gilt with the silver being the rarest as it was minted at the fair.

HK-20 – US Centennial Exposition – Silver
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HK-22 – US Centennial Exposition – Gilt
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Next, from the Louisiana Purchase of 1904, is a rare so-called dollar. Listed only in aluminum, this piece is brass. The Louisiana Purchase Expo was held in St. Louis. The purpose was to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the new territory. The fair ran from April 30 to December 1. About 20,000,000 people attended. No mention of mintages in either aluminum or brass are listed in the HK book. I’ll this one HK-322b as it is an unlisted variant of HK-322a.

HK-322b – Louisiana Purchase Exposition – Palace of Manufacturers/Palace of Liberal Arts
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The next fair is the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition which was held in Seattle in 1909. The purpose was “to prove to…world…enormous value of Alaska to United States and…greatness of its entry port, Seattle”. It ran from June 1 to October 16 with a low attendance of 3,750,000 people. Many medals were issued for this small fair including my favorite, the Utah Dollar. Although I do have a couple, that’s not what’s to be shown here.

HK-364 – US Government Building Dollar
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Also in 1909, the other coast celebrated the 300th anniversary of the discovery of the Hudson River at the Hudson-Fulton Celebration in New York City. The celebration, among other things, was to pay tribute to Hendrik Hudson and Robert Fulton. The fair was held from September 25 to October 11. The below shown medal is considered very rare. It was issued in bronze and aluminum and large and small lettering. No known versions of the large lettering are known on aluminum.

HK-385 Hudson-Fulton Dollar – Aluminum – Small lettering
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We continue on the time line of fairs and expo to arrive in San Francisco in 1915. The purpose, to attend the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The purpose of the gathering was to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal and to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the Pacific Ocean. The dates of the expo were February 20 to December 4 during which time 18,000,000 people attended. Many medals were issued at this fair including many State Fund Dollars. These were issued by the states in advance of the fair to generate funds for attending. Here is an Oregon Dollar.

HK-411 – Panama-Pacific Exposition – Oregon Dollar
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In 1920, the US Mint opened in Manila, Philippines. This was the only overseas mint ever established by our country. It opened on July 16, 1920. The President at the time was Woodrow Wilson. This medal is also referred to as a Wilson Dollar. It was issued in both silver and copper. Only 2200 silver pieces were issued and 3700 copper coins. I do have both the silver and copper specimens. Below is the copper version.

HK450 – Wilson Dollar – Copper
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We next find ourselves back in Philadelphia, PA in 1926. Taking place is the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence being celebrated at the US Sesquicentennial Expo. The dates of the expo ran from May 31 to November 30. Approximate attendance was 6,500,000. The official medals were minted in copper, bronze, brass, and nickel. The seller of this one listed it as bronze, but I have a feeling this one is likely copper and pleasantly toned.

HK-451 – US Sesquicentennial Exposition – Copper
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Finally, this journey ends at the “Cradle of the Union” Celebration of 1954 in Albany, NY. The purpose was to honor the 200th anniversary of Albany Congress of 1754, historically the First American Congress. Benjamin Franklin presented the first plan of the Federal Union as well as other significant proposals. The fair ran from June 20 to 26. These medals were made from silver, gold, and bronze. The pictures dollar is the bronze one.

HK-512 – “Cradle of the Union” Celebration – Bronze
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