Finding Nevada Medals Tokens and So-Called Dollars in the Wild: A Cherry Picker’s Guide to HK-552, HK-552a and the 1876 Nevada Dollar

Smart Buying Guide: How to Buy Nevada Medals Tokens and So-Called Dollars Without Getting Ripped Off

November 5, 2026

The Silver & Gold Content of Nevada Medals, Tokens and So-Called Dollars Explained: Melt Value vs. Collector Premium in HK-552, HK-552a and the 1876 Nevada Dollar

November 5, 2026

Published by Dre Dyson on November 5, 2026

You Don’t Always Need a Dealer to Find This. Here Is What to Look for When Searching Through Circulation or Bulk Lots.

You don’t always need a dealer to find this. Here is what to look for when searching through circulation or bulk lots. I have examined hundreds of bulk boxes. Estate sale flats. Old Dansco albums. And I can tell you this: some of the most satisfying cherry picks in numismatics do not come from a glass case. They come from a dusty box labeled “Misc. Medals.” Or a mixed lot at a small-town auction. Or a roll hunter’s coffee can full of odd-sized pieces everyone else passed over because they did not recognize the HK number.

Nevada exonumia is a perfect example. Most collectors chasing Nevada are focused on Carson City Morgan dollars. Territorial gold. Comstock varieties. That is where the big money lives. And the big competition. But tucked in with those famous coins are Nevada medals, tokens, badges, and So-Called Dollars. These are large, pictorial, medallic pieces struck for expositions, centennials, and state celebrations. They were not made to circulate as money. That is exactly why they survive in better condition. Why they turn up in family collections. And why a roll hunter with a good eye can still cherry pick them for a fraction of a certified example. Their numismatic value is real, even if the market overlooks them.

In my experience grading and cherry picking these pieces, the opportunity is not in finding a rare Carson City dollar in a bank roll. The opportunity is in learning the differences. A common base-metal souvenir versus a silver So-Called Dollar struck at the United States Mint from Nevada ore. A holed nickel copy versus an unholed silver original. A cleaned but genuine 1876 issue versus a later restrike. Once you know those markers, you will start seeing Nevada pieces everywhere.

What a So-Called Dollar Actually Is — And Why Roll Hunters Miss Them

A So-Called Dollar is not a dollar coin. It is a large medal, usually the size of a silver dollar, in silver, bronze, or base metal, struck to commemorate an exposition, centennial, or other event. The standard reference is the Hibler and Kappen catalog, abbreviated HK. When I am roll hunting or going through a bulk lot, I am not looking for a date and mintmark in the traditional sense. I am looking for size, weight, metal, and design.

The Basics I Check First

Diameter: Most So-Called Dollars are 38mm to 45mm, noticeably larger than a Morgan dollar. If it is in a roll, it will not fit. That is your first clue it is exonumia.
Weight and feel: Silver issues feel heavy and cold. Copper-nickel issues feel lighter and have a different ring. I always carry a small scale in my roll hunting kit.
Edge and rim: Many have a wide, flat rim that was meant for engraving or for a loop. Some were holed to be worn as a watch fob or pendant.
Design language: Look for pictorial scenes — mines, cabins, locomotives, dams, exposition buildings — rather than a portrait and denomination.

Because these pieces were sold as souvenirs, often for $1 to $1.25 at the event, they were kept by families, not spent. That means when they appear at estate sales, they often come with original boxes, certificates, or in custom Capital Plastics holders that collectors made in the 1960s and 1970s. I have seen entire mini-hoards of Nevada pieces in a single estate box, all toned, all original, and all priced as “miscellaneous medals” by an auction house that specialized in coins, not exonumia.

That is the roll hunter advantage. A dealer who knows HK numbers will price them correctly. An estate sale cataloger who does not will lot them together. Your job is to be the person who knows.

The 1959 Nevada Silver Centennial: HK-552 Silver and HK-552a Copper-Nickel

If you collect Nevada, the 1959 Nevada Silver Centennial medal is the piece you will encounter most often in the wild. I have found it in bulk lots in Reno, in a mixed box of world coins in Las Vegas, and in a dealer’s junk bin in Fallon. It is attractive, it is large, and it tells a great story.

The Story Behind the Medal

The medal was designed and engraved by Frank Gasparro, the chief engraver at the United States Mint. It commemorates the 1959 centennial of Nevada’s silver discovery and the founding of Virginia City and the Comstock. The event was funded by a modest state grant, private contributions, and the sale of Centennial “buttons” for $1. If you ever find one of those buttons in a bulk lot, pick it up — they are far scarcer than the medals and are a great companion piece.

The silver version is cataloged as HK-552, also listed in John T. Dean’s reference as D1959-1a. The copper-nickel version is HK-552a, Dean D1959-1b. This is where cherry picking becomes critical, because the two look almost identical at a glance.

How I Cherry Pick HK-552 vs. HK-552a in a Bulk Lot

Size: The silver HK-552 measures about 33.3mm (size 21) and weighs about 14.4 grams. The copper-nickel HK-552a measures about 34.9mm (size 22) and weighs about 12.9 grams. The nickel version is slightly larger with more space between the letters and the rim.
Rim: The nickel alloy version has a more rounded rim edge. The silver has a flatter, more defined rim.
Detail: In my examinations, the nickel version often shows sharper detail, especially in the wood cabin, the locomotive smoke, and the mountain details. That suggests the nickel pieces were struck earlier, before the dies were polished and lost some detail. The silver pieces were struck later from the same dies.
Die markers: Look at the base of the letter A in the legend. There is a small dot-shaped dimple that appears on multiple examples. Compare the crisscrossed roof slats on the cabin — a change from the horizontal slats used on the 1876 original that inspired the design.
Metal color and toning: Silver examples develop deep, smoky, rainbow toning, especially in original holders. Nickel examples stay gray and bright. A colorful, toned silver HK-552 in a Capital Plastics holder is a piece I will always pull from a lot, even if it is holed.

Here is the controversy that makes this a true cherry picker’s variety: references strongly suggest the copper-nickel HK-552a was not struck at the U.S. Mint. It is slightly larger, it is not included in Turner’s list of National Commemorative Medals, and no one has definitively explained who provided the blanks or where the striking was done. The silver medals were definitely struck at the Mint from a Panamint ball of Nevada silver — a 400 to 500 pound ball of silver created by Nevada mining interests to prevent theft during shipment, later shipped to Philadelphia. The silver medals were to be delivered to the Nevada Silver Centennial Committee.

Did the nickel pieces use the same Gasparro dies after they left the Mint? Were they struck at the Carson City Mint, now the Nevada State Museum, where Press No. 1 is still active? I have looked at these pieces side by side and I believe the dies are the same, or a very good copy. That mystery is exactly why knowledgeable collectors pay a premium for a clean, unholed silver example, and why you should not overpay for a nickel copy thinking it is silver.

Actionable takeaway: In a bulk lot, weigh every Nevada centennial medal. If it is 14.4 grams and 33.3mm, you likely have silver HK-552. If it is 12.9 grams and 34.9mm, you have HK-552a. Photograph both sides. The toning, the die state, and the presence of a hole will determine value more than the grade alone.

The 1876 Nevada Dollar: The Estate Sale Sleeper You Can Still Buy for $125

If the 1959 medal is the common find, the 1876 Nevada Dollar is the sleeper. This is one of my favorite So-Called Dollars, and it is a piece I actively hunt at estate sales because the market has not fully discovered it.

History and Mintage

This is an 1876 silver piece struck by the United States Mint for the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, with just 2,526 struck. It was prepared in the Coiner’s Department and delivered to Mr. C. C. Stevenson, Chairman of the Nevada State Board and Nevada’s commissioner to the exposition. Stevenson later became Nevada’s fifth governor. The pieces were originally sold for $1.25 each with a certificate.

Mint of the United States. Philadelphia. Coiner’s Department. June 20, 1876. I certify that the Nevada Exposition Medals, prepared in this department, and this day delivered to Mr. C. C. Stevenson, Chairman of the Nevada State Board, are made of pure silver, crushed from Nevada ores, at the Nevada quartz mill located in the Centennial Exposition grounds and subsequently refined at the United States Mint. (Signed) A. Loudon Snowden, Coiner.

Have you ever seen one of those certificates in a bulk lot? I have not, and that is part of the hunt. When you find the medal without the certificate, you are still finding a genuine piece of Nevada silver history.

How I Found Mine — And How You Can Find Yours

I managed to get one through an estate sale auction for $125 bid, not including a 20% buyer’s premium and shipping. I was pleased to have it, because the same piece had previously sold for $164.50 with buyer’s premium at Heritage Auctions in 2014. The coin had an unfortunate cleaning, but it was nevertheless a welcome part of my collection. That is the reality of cherry picking: you will find cleaned examples at estate sales, and you need to know how to grade them.

On my example, the obverse shows die doubling in the motto, with small spread doubling in most letters at the beginning and end of the motto, progressing to tripling or quadrupling seen in the S in AS. The top bar of the D on GOD is filled. Those die markers helped me authenticate it despite the cleaning. In my experience grading, a cleaned 1876 Nevada Dollar is still collectible and desirable, especially if the details are sharp and the die variety is present.

What to look for in circulation finds and bulk lots:

Check any lot labeled “1876,” “Centennial,” or “Nevada” — even if it is listed as a token.
Look for the large, pictorial reverse with the cabin and locomotive that the 1959 medal copied.
Weigh it. Silver issues will be heavy. Base metal copies will be light.
Examine the motto for doubling. Collectors of die varieties will pay more for a doubled example, even cleaned.
Ask about paperwork. Original certificates, receipts, or Stevenson provenance can double the value.

Holed, Toned, Cleaned: Grading Reality for Roll Hunters

One of the most important lessons from the Nevada medal community is that grading services have changed their minds about holed medals, and that affects what you should buy in the wild.

The HK-25 Story

I once submitted an HK-25 that was holed, perhaps the cleanest, best looking example I have ever seen and owned, yet PCGS rejected it as damaged. The flip still reads “Damage/Holed.” That was four or five years ago. Since then, PCGS has revisited that decision and will now encapsulate holed medals, even giving them separate coin numbers for holed and unholed specimens.

For the Nevada Centennial, PCGS lists HK-552a Unholed as coin number 642937, with one certified in MS63, and HK-552a Holed as coin number 806731, with two certified in MS64 and MS62. The slab states it is holed and references both the HK and Dean numbers. I asked Jeff Shevlin if holed and unholed So-Called Dollars should have different catalog numbers and he said no, but PCGS is saying yes here.

What This Means for Cherry Picking

Do not pass on a holed silver medal. If it is a genuine HK-552 silver, a hole does not kill it. It was made to be worn. Collectors now want holed examples in slabs.
Toning matters more than grade. I have seen a top-pop MS66 silver HK-552 and an MS64 holed example, and I still prefer the look of a colorful, smoky-toned example with original patina. In my experience, original toning on silver exonumia is more desirable than a blast-white MS grade.
Cleaned is not worthless. The 1876 Nevada Dollar I bought was cleaned, but it was still a great buy at $125. Learn to distinguish a harsh cleaning that removes detail from a light cleaning that leaves the design sharp.
Custom holders are a clue. A medal in a custom Capital Plastics holder likely came from a serious collector who designed and ordered the holder in the 1960s or 1970s. Those holders often protect original toning. Do not break them open in the field.

When I am going through a bulk lot, I sort into three piles: silver and original, base metal and original, and damaged or cleaned. The first pile gets photographed and researched. The second pile gets weighed and measured. The third pile gets examined for die varieties that might make it worthwhile anyway.

Other Nevada Exonumia That Turns Up in the Same Boxes

Nevada pieces rarely travel alone. When I find a 1959 centennial medal in an estate box, I usually find other Western exonumia in the same box. Here are the pieces that most often appear with Nevada medals, and that you should learn to spot.

1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition Medals

I have seen several pieces from the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, including an award medal by Shreve & Co. Jewelers of San Francisco and an unusual badge. The relief on the eagle side is amazing on these. They are not Nevada, but they are Western, they are large and pictorial, and they turn up in the same estate collections. If a lot is labeled “California” or “Exposition,” check it for Nevada pieces mixed in.

Hoover Dam and Frank Gasparro Medals

As an old Nevada goldminer myself, I will always stop for a Hoover Dam medal engraved by Frank Gasparro. His initials appear on the Hoover Dam die, but they do not appear on the Nevada Silver Centennial pieces. That is a great authentication marker. The Hoover Dam medal often shows the dam, the rocket, and the mountains in high relief. I have seen a small artifact in the rays above the highest mountain on one example — it might be a small piece of plastic struck through, visible in the TrueView photo but not on other examples. That kind of die variety is what cherry pickers live for.

Badges, Pins, and Jeweler-Made Pieces

One of the most unusual Nevada pieces I have examined is a badge measuring about 2.5″ x 1.5″ with tiny raised lettering marking the important Nevada cities at the time. The back has the maker’s mark engraving for jeweler Frank Golden. Frank Golden (1862-1911) came from Ireland in 1880 and opened a jewelry business in Virginia City with Chatelain, and later had ventures in Tonopah, Carson City, and Reno, including the Golden Hotel. His son continued the business after 1911. I have not run across another like it. I got it from Fred Holabird, a name known to every Western collector.

These badges were likely worn by officials, exhibitors, or the general public at an exposition. They are not coins, they are not tokens, and they will not be in any coin catalog. You will only find them by going through estate sale jewelry boxes and bulk lots of pins and badges. That is pure roll hunter territory.

Carson City Mint Press No. 1 Medals

Current day minting on the Original Press Number One at the museum in Carson City should qualify as Nevada tokens. The press still exists and is used on a somewhat regular basis to strike medals. I tend to think of the pieces as medals instead of tokens, as they are not used as a medium for exchange, but collectors buy them as Nevada exonumia. They are inexpensive, they are fun to find in bulk lots, and they connect directly to the history of the Carson City Mint.

My Field Checklist for Cherry Picking Nevada Exonumia

After years of searching through circulation, bulk lots, and estate sales, I have developed a checklist I use every time. Print this out and keep it in your roll hunting bag.

Before You Bid

Identify the HK number. HK-552 is silver, HK-552a is copper-nickel. HK-25 is a different Nevada issue that is often holed. Write down the number before you bid.
Measure and weigh. Silver HK-552: 33.3mm, 14.4 grams. Nickel HK-552a: 34.9mm, 12.9 grams. If you do not have a scale, at least measure with calipers.
Check for a hole. Holed is acceptable and now certified. Note it, but do not reject it automatically.
Look for toning. Smoky, rainbow, or dark toning on silver is a plus. Bright, polished surfaces may indicate cleaning.
Examine the dies. Look for the dot at the base of the A, the crisscrossed cabin roof, the doubling in the motto on the 1876 issue, and the filled top bar on the D in GOD.
Check the holder. Original Capital Plastics, PCGS, or NGC holders add value and provenance. A flip with a “Damage/Holed” tag from an older submission tells you the piece was once rejected — it may now be gradeable.
Ask about certificates and buttons. The 1876 issue came with a Snowden certificate. The 1959 issue was funded by $1 centennial buttons. Paperwork and buttons are rare and valuable.

Red Flags to Avoid

A nickel HK-552a priced as silver HK-552.
A heavily cleaned 1876 Nevada Dollar with no detail left in the motto.
A cast copy with soft details and no die markers.
A holed piece with a crude, modern hole that was not part of the original issue.

The best cherry picks happen when you are the only person in the room who knows the difference between HK-552 and HK-552a. That knowledge does not come from a dealer. It comes from handling dozens of examples, weighing them, photographing them, and comparing die states.

Conclusion: Why Nevada Medals, Tokens, and So-Called Dollars Matter

Nevada medals, tokens, and So-Called Dollars are more than souvenirs. They are primary sources for Nevada history. The 1876 Nevada Dollar was struck from pure silver crushed from Nevada ores at the Nevada quartz mill on the Centennial Exposition grounds and refined at the United States Mint in Philadelphia. It was delivered to Charles Clark Stevenson, a Comstock pioneer who arrived in Ophir when there was only a tent and a brushwood saloon, and who went on to serve as a Nevada state senator and governor. The 1959 Nevada Silver Centennial medal was struck from the Panamint ball of Nevada silver, a 400 to 500 pound ball created to thwart robbery, and designed by Frank Gasparro, the man who engraved many of America’s most famous coins.

These pieces connect the Comstock era to the modern Carson City Mint, where Press No. 1 still strikes medals today. They show how Nevada promoted itself at national expositions, how it celebrated its centennial, and how its silver was literally shaped into art. They are collectible because they are historical, because they are beautiful, and because they are still findable. A piece in true mint condition with original luster and strong eye appeal will always bring a premium. Even a circulated, toned example has real collectibility.

You do not need to be a millionaire to collect them. I bought a genuine 1876 silver So-Called Dollar at an estate sale for $125. I have pulled silver HK-552 medals from bulk lots priced as base metal. I have found holed nickel examples that are now certified and desirable. The key is to be a roll hunter at heart: curious, prepared, and willing to dig through the box everyone else ignored.

Next time you see a flat labeled “Misc. Medals,” a coffee can of large tokens, or an estate box of Western relics, stop and look. Weigh the large pieces. Measure them. Look for the cabin, the locomotive, the Hoover Dam, and the Gasparro design. You might just cherry pick the next Nevada treasure — and you will have earned it.