SO CALLED DOLLARS COMMEMORATING PUBLIC BUILDINGS and OTHER PUBLIC WORKS
Click on images for enlargements
317a) Commemorating the completion of the Erie canal in 1826. This surprising medal discovery was auctioned off by Stacks in November 2017. Probably unique, it was stuck with a cracked reverse die that is different from HK1000. Click Here for auction sale and description. Image Courtesy of Stack’s Bowers Galleries www.stacksbowers.com
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318) Medal commemorating the 1877 corner stone laying of the Seventh Regiment Armory on New York’s Upper East side. By George Lovett. Rare in white metal,.Very Rare in bronze and brass. Extremely Rare in silver. 40mm. Image courtesy of Dave Baldwin at Lovett Tokens and Medals.
318a) 1882 bicentennial of Phillipse Manor. Medal shown here is from Stacks November 2019 auction lot #20692. Rulau-Fuld lists this piece in bronze and white metal and shows an example with an as made loop. The silver example here shows no sign of loop. I did not tally this piece, so I am not familiar with it’s rarity. In silver it is obviously extremely rare. Fuld-Rulau describes it as 33mm. The Stacks auction described this piece as 35.2mm. Silver. Image Courtesy of Stack’s Bowers Galleries www.stacksbowers.com
319) This medal commemorates the opening of the famous Brooklyn Bridge. "Two Cities As One New York & Brooklyn". All are white metal, although I did find one described as nickel silver and another described as gilt that was probably plated as a novelty sometime after striking. Both were holed. There are also silver plated brass modern reproductions of this piece. The originals are Very Scarce, but Rare unholed(10-15% are found unholed). White metal, 35.5mm.
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319a) Souvenir medal from the 1890 Momence, Illinois Inter State Hay Palace. The obverse of this piece is also found with an Aluminum Souvenir reverse(have only seen holed - Rulau Illinois Mom 2), and also with a silver award medal reverse. For a history of the Hay Palace, Click Here. Sometimes found holed. Very Rare, bordering on Extremely Rare. White Metal, 34.3mm.
320) A second Momence, Illinois Hay Palace medal, this one from 1891. Read above. Very to Extremely Rare. Rulau Mom 2. Aluminum, 37mm. Image courtesy Robert Jesinger.
320a) Souvenir from the Sioux City Corn Palace in 1891. For another Sioux City Corn Palace piece look at #111. Rare, but a strong Very Rare un-holed. Aluminum, 37.1mm
321) This medal has a fraternal reverse dated May 12th 1891(Knights of the Golden Eagle). The obverse depicts the newly constructed Schuylkill County courthouse in Pottsville, Pennsylvania that was dedicated September 3rd that same year. Very Rare. Bronze, 37.7mm
322) The obverse of HK244 as the reverse. BakerY-324. Found in white metal and bronze. Rare in bronze and usually found unholed. Rare in white metal with virtually all holed. Bronze, 35mm.
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323) Today the "Iron Bridge" is called the Frisco Bridge, and was previously called the Memphis bridge. Built in 1892, it is still in use today, and was the first bridge to cross the lower Mississippi. Read article by David Schenkman November 2009 The Numismatist. Very Rare and sometimes holed. Aluminum, 34.9mm.
324) "Old Sugar House Rose St. N.Y.". Evidently minted at the time as it's demolition in 1892. Found in bronze, white metal and silver. Rare bordering on Very Rare in either white metal or bronze. Extremely Rare in silver. The American Numismatic Society in New York has the only silver one that I found. White Metal, 44.1mm.
325) A commemorative "Dedicated To The Memory Of Robert Morris", and the Holland Land Purchase Office that today is a museum in Batavia, New York. Very Rare. Aluminum, 34.7mm
326) "To Commemorate The International Opening Of The Philadelphia Commercial Museum June 1897", The obverse of this piece is similar to HK644. Rulau Phl A78. Rare. Silver, 34mm.
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326a) Visit souvenir medal from the Philadelphia Bourse, 1897. A strong Very Rare. Aluminum, 38.1mm
326b) I am not sure, but I believe this medal commemorates an addition to the Ohio State Capitol building that was completed in 1901. If someone could straighten me out on the history here I would greatly appreciate it. "M.C. Lilley, & Co. Col. O." in tiny lettering below building. From the collection of Dave Jensen. Very Rare. Bronze, 43.2mm
326c) Town hall dedication Revere, Massachusetts January 11th, 1899. This is the only one I have come across, so for now I am calling it Extremely Rare, white metal, 35.4mm. Image courtesy Jonathan Brecher.
327) "Commemorative Of Establishment Of The Capitol In The District Of Columbia", A large and thick so called dollar. This medal was evidently made from bronze taken from the original capitol building of 1800. Very Scarce and often found with a clamped on loop with ribbon and hanger. Bronze, 44.3mm.
327a) Centennial Anniversary of the Establishment of the Government at Washington D.C. December 12, 1900. Click HERE for an image of one with hanger. A strong very rare in bronze or white metal, and usually holed in white metal.
328) "New State Capitol Harrisburg Penna.", "Dedicated Oct. 4. 1906". "Virtue", "Liberty" and "Independence" on curled ribbon. Found in white metal or bronze. Combining both metals together, Very Rare. Bronze, 37.6mm.
329) Dedication of La Salle City Hall 1907. Not in very good condition. Quite rare as far as I can tell. Very Rare bordering on Extremely Rare. Brass, 34.8mm
329a) Port of Portland with Mount Hood on the reverse. In 1910 a $2.5 million Portland initiative was passed to create a Commission of Public Docks. The "Two Millions For Improvement" is close to this figure, so perhaps the two are one and the same, but at this point I am not sure. This piece was possibly minted at about the same time as the Mount Rainier piece #399, and possibly at or around the time of the AYPE in Seattle. The inaccurate height of Mount Hood of 11,932 was used on a number of old postcards from about the same time period, although it can also be found on earlier postcards and even later ones all the way up to World War 2. A more common and more accurate published height that was used over the same time period was a measurement of 11,225 feet from 1867. At this point I am not sure of the origin of the 11,932 measurement. For other early 20th century "harbor map" so called dollars look at #81, #329b, and #399. Gilt Copper, 38mm, A strong very rare. Image courtesy of Dan West.
329b) San Pedro Bay Los Angeles Harbor 10 million for improvements. Signed "Cop’d J.E.D.". A Christensen and Stone catalog April 1975 lot #35 describes this piece as "CA 1908". It was also described as silver, but the piece shown here is silver plate. Look at #81, #399, and #329a for similar "harbor map" medals. Silver plated brass, Very Rare. 40mm. Image courtesy Jonathan Brecher.
329c) Uniface medal depicting the Waco Texas Cotton Palace. Undated but probably circa 1910. Bronze, Very rare. 38mm. Image courtesy Josef Traktovenko
330) Souvenir of Salina, Kansas City Hall 1911. Very Rare. Aluminum, 38.1mm
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331) A larger so called dollar. "In Celebration Of The 175th Anniversary Of The Founding Of The Redwood Library And Athenaeum Newport R. I." In tiny lettering on the reverse: "Newman, N.Y." Rare, Bronze, 44.5mm.
332) "Golden Jubilee Anniversary / Cincinnati Zoo / Sept. 18 1925". I have only seen it in bronze. Rare bordering on Very Rare. Bronze, 36mm.
333) Completed in just 3 years for the Great Northern Railroad in 1928, the Cascade Tunnel is still part of the main Amtrak/freight rail line through the Cascade Mountains connecting the port of Seattle with places east. For many decades it was the longest tunnel in the western hemisphere. Very Rare. Brass, 34.7mm.
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333a) Medal commemorating the opening of the Soldiers Memorial Building in Lansing Michigan. Very Rare. Bronze, 38.2mm
334) Commemorating the opening of a commuters service between Pontiac and Detroit, Michigan in 1931. "Grand Trunk Station". Rare, bordering on Very Rare. Bronze, 34.3mm.
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335) 1935 dedication of Stratford Hall, Home of the Lees. In Westmoreland Co. Va. Very Rare. Yellow bronze, 38mm.
335a) Dedication of the First Aerial Tramway in North America, June 1938 Franconia Notch, New Hampshire. Bronze, 33.5mm. Image courtesy Josef Traktovenko
336) "City Hall Grand Island, Nebraska / Dedication June 14, 1940". Very Rare. Gilt brass, 34.9mm.
336a) Commemorating the 1940 dedication of a water works and municipal building in the Town of Lake, Wisconsin, now a neighborhood within the city of Milwaukee. Gilt brass, 32.8mm
337) The Pennsylvania Turnpike set the standard for modern superhighways in the United States. This "Eastern Extension", built in 1950, was the first expansion completed following World War II. Rare. Nickel or Nickel silver, 38.2mm.
338) 1952 United Nations completion medal. I bought it off ebay, and it is the exact same piece that sold in Johnson & Jensen sale #25 lot#479 in 1983. Struck by the Medallic Art Co. Rare bordering on Very Rare. Yellow Bronze, 38.4mm.
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339) Commemorates the opening of Viking Hall at the Hayden Planetarium, New York City. There was also a book, "The Viking Rocket Story" that was given out at the opening June 30, 1955 by the Martin Company of Baltimore. Rare. Bronze, 38mm
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340) Undated souvenir from the deep sea Mammoth Wharf, no trace of which exists today. On the reverse is the old North Beach Bath House in Santa Monica. Very Rare. Aluminum, 38.2mm
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341) An undated souvenir token showing the old Signal Station atop Pike's Peak, with the Denver mint on the reverse. This piece bears an uncanny resemblance in style to HK343a and HK726, and was probably minted at or around the same time. This is the only one I have found. Look at #341a below. Extremely Rare. Brass, 36.2mm
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341a) 1906 Elks Grand Lodge reunion held in Denver, Colorado. Reverse the same as #341 above showing the Denver U.S. Mint. Due to their similarity in style, it appears to me that HK-340, HK-343, HK-343a, HK-726, and #341 above were all minted by the same maker, but the certainty of when they were minted has never been entirely clear. This Elks lodge piece with it's 1906 Reunion date helps to establish with more certainty the year 1906 as the possible date when they were all minted. Image courtesy Scott Safe.
341b) Medal by George Lovett of the Old Middle Dutch Church. The church had multiple uses until it was demolished in 1882. This medal is found in silver, white metal, copper and brass. All metals together, Rare. Individually, Rare to Very Rare in silver, brass and white metal, but perhaps Very to Extremely Rare in copper. 34mm. Image courtesy of Dave Baldwin at Lovett Tokens and Medals.
341c) Medal by George Lovett of the Old Round House. Le Roy, New York. First obverse variety. Found in white metal, bronze and possibly silver. White metal, 34mm
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341d) Medal by George Lovett of the Old Round House. Le Roy, New York. Second obverse variety. Found in white metal, bronze and silver. Bronze, 34mm
341e) The tallest building in Cleveland when it was built in 1900. Imploded 82 year later. Aluminum, 38.2mm
