The Planchet
A Publication of theIndianapolis Coin Club
October 2010 Issue 518

The next meeting will be Monday,
October 25th 2010
The Meetings of the Indianapolis Coin Club are held
the fourth Monday of each month at theNorthside Knights of Columbus
2100 E. 71st Street in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Meetings consist of a business session, an intermission, educational program,and a numismatic auction. Doors open at 6:00pm, meeting will begin at 7:00pm.

2010 Meeting Dates:
Oct. 25thNov. 22ndDecember Banquet

Upcoming EventsBanquet
Tuesday, December 7, 2010 @ 6:00 pm at the Broad Ripple
MCL Cafeteria.

October Program"State of the Hobby" by Mark Eberhardt

November Program
Exhibit Night. Get those exhibits ready!

$$$$ “ALWAYS BUYING” $$$$

VINTON G. DOVE

PAYING TOP PRICES FOR ALL U.S.
COINS

Certified Public Accountant
Collecting U.S. Coins Since 1952

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LARRY HYLTONBROWNSBURG, IN

ANA, ISNA-LM, CSNS-LM 443 Wellington Road(317) 852-8458

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DOUBLE D. KOINSDONALD D. KING SR.
MemberThe 2009 Indianapolis Coin ClubOfficers and Board Members
PresidentJim Roehrdanz
Vice-President
Donn Wray
Secretary
Vinton Dove
Treasurer
Don KingEditor
Matt Dinger
Past President
Matt Dinger
Sgt-at-Arms
Jim Warden
Board Member 2009-2010 Dave Reid
Board Member 2009-2010 Bob Bettcher
Board Member 2009-2010 Mark Eberhardt
Board Member 2010-2011 Jim Fuson
Board Member 2010-2011 Marty Moore
Board Member 2010-2011 Michael White$35.00 for a business card size
ad for 12 issues!
The Monthly Planchet is the official publication of the Indianapolis
Coin Club. It is published monthly in Indianapolis, Indiana. All
inquiries should be sent to ICC, P.O. Box 2897, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46206.

'So-Called Dollars'
By Harold E. Hibbler and Charles V. Kappen
Frank Colletti
In 1963 a new study of medals of historical significance was published to little fan fare. The
reference called simply "So-Called Dollars" by Harold E. Hibbler and Charles V. Kappen was tolaunch a study of medals that was at least 1 15/16" to a maximum of 1 3/4". The other major requirements for listing were that they were only United States issues, no purely presidential or political
medals, no school or athletic medals, nor calendar or store cards, with a few other minor requirements. The reference to the medal in the book is usually abbreviated as HK-#, for Hibbler-Kappens
and the number as listed in the book.
As a result, the study included over 1,000 medals issued for commemorative and expositionsof national or local significance, and miscellaneous topics of interest. The initial topic comprises
nearly 80 percent of the total medals listed. So, for a collector who has a particular interest in say the1892 to 1893 Columbian Exposition, there are over 90 medals listed for you to try to collect. TheColumbian Exposition is one of the most popular Expositions for collectibles, sure there were 90
medals listed here, but there were literally probably another 1,000 other pieces issued that may not beof a size that able to be listed here. That would make for one vast collection that you probably would
never complete. Especially since there are more pieces being discovered even today.
If your interest is in the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, the exposition where William
McKinley was shot by the terrorist Leon Czolgosz on September 6,1901. He died eight days later.
Perhaps because of the tragedy, there are only three medals that are listed for this event, five if you
include all metal types. However, it is an event of historic nature and well worth your study. The one
shown here, HK-287, is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful medals ever produced by any organization for any event, ever. The medal is listed as scarce (defined as 501 to 1500 pieces estimatedknown). As such is should be fairly available, but it has been years since I have seen one at a coinshow. When collectors obtain a nice copy they hate to give it up.
Any mention of fairs should include the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915.
The event was to celebrate three events: first: the opening of the Panama Canal; then: the 400th anniversary of the European discovery of the Pacific Ocean, and finally the rebuilding of San Francisco
after the destruction of the city form the 1906 earthquake and subsequent fire. Many of these medals
are some of the most beautiful ones ever. Shown here is just one of them, HK-422. The medal is listed
as gilt (gold plate) and is considered very scarce. Very scarce is defined as 251 to 500 pieces known.
If this were a US coin it would be worth many thousands of dollars, but, as a so-called dollar it may
be found for a couple of hundred, if you can locate one. The Expo is highly collectible, as noted andany medals will sell for more than estimated values.
Events that were deemed to be worthy of holding significant fairs, were many and varied.
They ranged from any possible local topic of interest to national significance. Another of my favorites
is the "Cotton States and International Exposition" of 1895, held in Atlanta, Georgia. The purpose of
the event was to show the "resources and possibilities of the Cotton States" and to show the revival of
Atlanta after the destruction caused by the Civil War in 1864. It was only open form September 18 toDecember 31, 1895 but managed a total attendance of 800,000! That must have been a fairly crowded
event. The medal shown here, H-K-268 is gilt bronze and is listed as very scarce. The obverse shows
Henry W. Grady whose writings as the editor of the Atlanta Constitution helped to sooth the flames of
discontent between the North and the South after the Civil War. The reverse shows a phoenix (Atlanta
rising from the ashes of destruction, a bale (presumably of cotton) representing the southern produce,and clasped hands, showing union of the South and the North. This particular piece is considered very
scarce and was valued (in 1963) at $65.00. So, you can imagine the value today, although it is not as
valuable as a coin would be.

To show the difference in the quality of medals produced later, lets take a look at the 1939-1940 Golden Gate International Exposition
held in San Francisco, California. The purpose was to celebrate the openings of the Golden Gate bridge and the San-Francisco-Oakland bridge.
Over 17 million visitors attended the event over the two years that it was open. The obverse of this piece displays the official emblem and thereverse ‘Treasure Island’ a man-made island then used as a naval base (remember this was pre-World War II). You may enjoy the design of thepiece, but it simply cannot compare to the quality of the engraving done in earlier periods. This piece is also considered to be very scarce, but isworth less than similar pieces for earlier events.
There is a lot of fun collecting these pieces, you never know what you will find or where you’ll find them. Some of these pieces werelocated in common ‘junk boxes’ on dealers’ tables at coin shows. Others were mixed in with tokens and medals of other sorts. Some were evenproperly catalogued. The only limit to your collection is your imagination. Do you want to specialize in World’s Fair events? expositions?
Events of a local nature? Or just ‘official’ medals? The limit is what interests you. In fact, after you start, you may decide to not limit yourself tothe listed items.
Consider the Hudson-Fulton 1909 Ter-centenary event held in New York City in 1909. The event was to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the discovery of the Hudson River, and to promote New York state as a important part of United States history. The medal shown isthe official medal, marked sterling on the edge. H & K notes that the medal was issued in gold, silver, silver-plate, bronze and aluminum. The
silver medals were issued to commission members and certain guests. As such it was probably issued in a very limited quantity. My (pure guess)would be no more that perhaps a hundred or so. However, because of the size limitations, the official medal is not listed in the H & K reference(and they mention this as a reason for not listing). Just because it is not shown or listed is that any reason to ignore it? Of course not. It is a valuable souvenir of a , well actually not very important event in the history of the City of New York.
So, next time that you see a so-called dollar on display in a dealer’s showcase, consider adding it to your collection. The Hibbler andKappens references are infrequently available from used book stores and at estate sales. I rarely see them for sale at on line auctions, although
they do show up. As an aside, recently, about two years ago an updated version of the original book was released. That reminds me, I have topick one up. Until next time, have a great time looking at an unusual type of collectible.

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September 27, 2010 - Minutes of the Indianapolis Coin Club Meeting.
Open - The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by the Club President, Jim Roehrdanz. 37 people present
signed the attendance book. We met at the Northside Knights of Columbus Hall, 2100 East 71st Street. After themeeting was called to order, the Club Secretary presented President Roehrdanz with a gavel, inscribed“Indianapolis Coin Club, Jim Roehrdanz, President, 2010.”
Visitors – Bob Julian, Dave Colford, the President of the Logansport Coin Club, Carolyn Michael and JerryLebo, a Life Member of our Club and the Secretary of the Central States Numismatic Society, all from Logansport, and Ken Lewis and Mike Watson were introduced.
The Treasurer’s report and the Secretary’s report were read and accepted.
Old Business – Jim announced that he had found a 2010-D dime in circulation. A short discussion followedwith several members telling about the new coins they have found. The Logansport Coin Show, to be held on
October 3, 2010 was announced. Jim then announced that the Club’s Christmas Banquet would be held on Monday evening, December 6, 2010. Jim will try to get a room for us at the Cafeteria. The exact location will be announced at the November meeting, and you can call Jim or the Club Secretary if you will not be at the meeting.
New Business – Club Treasurer, Don King announced that he needed materials to fill the baggies to be given
away at the ISNA Show. He also needs volunteers to man the Club’s table at the ISNA show, to be held onFriday, October 29 and Saturday, October 30. The Club needs people to serve for an hour or more. People
willing to help out should call Don, Jim Fuson, Bob Bettcher or Vinton Dove.
The Educational Program – This was the annual exchange night when the Logansport Coin Club comes toIndy to put on the program. It is always a great time, and this evening was no exception. Bob Julian was thespeaker for the evening. Bob is a regular contributor to several coin publications, including the ANA’s“Numismatist” and commercial publications, “Numismatic News,” “Numismatic Scrapbook” and “Coin World.”
His topic for the evening was “Research.” He told of how he got started in researching coins, and the need foraccess to numismatic books and other sources, such as old newspaper articles. One of his first projects was researching Russian coins, when he became acquainted with Dr. Evan Spaski. In the course of his career, he metand corresponded with many prominent people in the world of coins and numismatics, including Lee Hewitt, theEditor of “Numismatic Scrapbook” magazine. Bob cautioned researchers to be wary of government records,
since he has found them to be “sometimes incomplete and not always correct.” When researching, he uses a taperecorder to copy information, although digital recorders can be used. As always, when Bob speaks, the Club listens, and enjoys, and learns.
After the Break, the 50/50 Drawing was run by Club Treasurer, Don King.
Auction – The Club’s monthly auction was conducted by Joe Boling as auctioneer, with Ron Jackson, Bob
Bettcher and others assisting. 17 sheets of auction lots were included and many of the lots sold, but some werepriced a little too high.
The club adjourned at 8:52 PM.

Respectfully submitted, Vinton Dove, Secretary