Check Out What’s Happening in the So-Called Dollar Market as of May 2026
Jeff Shevlin · May 30, 2026
See Which So-Called Dollars Sold for Strong Prices at Auction in May 2026
Whenever a major auction company such as Heritage or Stack’s Bowers offers a group of So-Called Dollars, I find myself asking the same question: Who are these bidders, and why aren’t they buying from my website?
Time after time, I watch collectors bid So-Called Dollars to levels far above what I charge for identical pieces. In many cases, I have the same medal in the same grade available at the same time for hundreds of dollars less.
Take today’s Heritage auction, held on May 26, 2026, as an example. Approximately 70 So-Called Dollars crossed the block, and about half of them realized prices that were roughly double what I typically sell comparable examples for.
One example is the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Utah So-Called Dollar HK-359. Heritage sold an NGC MS-65 Red example for $488. I currently offer the same medal in NGC MS-65 Red for $195. Even more surprising, I presently have an NGC MS-66 Red—one grade higher—priced at only $385. A collector paid over $100 more for a lower-graded example than the one available on my website. Click on the image on the left to see it listed for sale on my website.
Another example is the Bashlow silver restrike of the Continental Dollar, HK-852A. Heritage sold an NGC MS-66 specimen for $536.80. I typically sell NGC MS-66 examples for about $295. In fact, I currently have an NGC MS-67 PL available for $495. Why would someone pay $536.80 for an MS-66 when a higher-graded MS-67 is available for less? Click on the image on the right to see it listed for sale on my website.
The pattern continued with the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition Irvine & Jachens slug HK-424. Heritage sold an NGC MS-61 example for $610. I normally sell these for around $295, and at the moment I have an NGC MS-62 listed at $495. Once again, a higher-grade piece is available for substantially less than the auction result. Click on the image on the left to see it listed for sale on my website.
One final example—and I could easily provide a dozen more—is the 1904 St. Louis Exposition Official So-Called Dollar HK-304 in NGC MS-65. Heritage sold one for $439.20. At this very moment, I have the same grade available, but mine is the much rarer No Star variety, an unlisted issue that I believe is at least 100 times scarcer. It is priced at $535. If offered in a major auction, I suspect it could easily realize close to $1,000. Click on the image on the right to see it listed for sale on my website.
Of the roughly 70 So-Called Dollars sold in today’s auction, I have handled every one of them in comparable grades and have generally sold them for significantly less money—often hundreds of dollars less.
So I return to my original question: Who are these collectors?
More importantly, how do I get them to visit my website?