Spencer Collection of So Called Dollars
HK-705 BR, Northampton Tercentenniary


Obverse
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Reverse
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Coin Details

  

Set Details
Coin Description: SC$1 UNDATED WA HK-728A SPOKANE CHAMBER OF COMM.
Grade: NGC MS 61 RB
Owner: Spencer Collection
 
Set Category: Token & Medals
Set Name: Spencer Collection of So Called Dollars
Slot Name: HK-705 BR, Northampton Tercentenniary
Research: See NGC's Census Report for this Coin

Owner's Description

Medal, 1905 (Undated), Bz, SPOKANE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MEDAL, United States, Spokane, WA, Undated (but see below) So Called Dollar HK-728A, (Smaller Barrel and text on Barrel 32mm), NGC MS61RB, Cert# 2443474-015. Obv. In center circle is large barrel with an apple projecting from top; on barrel You Can Make / a Barrel of Money / Growing Apples / in the / Spokane Country; outside, above Compliments of; below Spokane Chamber of Commerce; Rv. In center circle is map depicting Spokane area; outside, above All Roads Lead to Spokane; below The Power City; to l. microscopic Childs, to r. microscopic Chicago. Rarity-5 (Only 4 examples graded in mint state). Research on the 1890 Spokane Falls Northwest Industrial Exposition indicates that the name changed in 1891 to Spokane. There were only 19,992 people in Spokane in 1890 and only 36,848 in 1900 and only 1000 in the Spokane Apple Valley who were planting thousands of apple trees. This Exposition was made possible because of the arrival of the very first transcontinental railroad to the Washington Territory in 1883 (the Northern Pacific Railroad) which gave this area access to the Chicago area. The undated HK-728A which was made by Childs and who according to Rulau was the principle die sinker from 1837-1900. The transcontinental connection shipped everything this way early on in Washington State. The Spokane Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1897 principally to market the apples and mining and lumber of the area. HK-728 was intended to do this with its map of the railroads on the reverse I think as part of a marketing program. Here is the important part relative to the dating: There are actually at least 3 varieties of this medal. There is a railroad marked on this token which comes out in the center of the space between the word TO and the word SPOKANE. It is marked Spok Intertl which stands for the Spokane International Railway which was founded in 1905. This is the most important of the marked railroads on the map. There are two railroad lines marked that converge on either side of this medal that are engraved PAC RY. This stands for the Pacific Railway. This company was started in 1905 and MOST importantly went out of existence in 1906! This means the Dollar could have only been made in 1905. Thus this Medal was made 4 years prior to the AYPE token of 1909.

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