So-Called Dollar Discussions

ForumSo-Called Dollar Main Forum: HK 491-589 So-Called DollarsAmerican Commemorative Society (A …

Please or Register to create posts and topics.

American Commemorative Society (ACS) pieces HK-506, 506a, 506b and more...

#1 · August 9, 2013, 7:59 pm

So are there more of the ACS pieces than these 3 ? ...and can anyone post more information about Charles F. Smith of Boston referenced in the SCD book ? .. and why were these made in London ? Not a lot about this is clear at all......

Uploaded files:

billycgribble has reacted to this post.

#2 · June 20, 2020, 8:14 pm

Quote from TNG on June 20, 2020, 8:14 pm
Ben Franklin
Anniversary of Kite Flying
American Commemorative Society 1752-1952

This is an elusive medal which I acquired recently.
I would not be surprised if it had the lowest mintage of these American Commemorative Society Charles F. Smith issues. Are there more? I do not know. Should it be designated as So-Called Dollar HK-506c?
Probably not.
Since it is 50 mm in diameter though, it does not meet So-Called Dollar requirements.

The Hibler and Kappen book defined so-called dollars this way:

Had to be United States only.
Minimum diameter - Size 21 (1-5/16 inch or 33mm).
Maximum diameter - Size 28 (1-3/4 inch or 45mm); but silver Bryan Dollars are listed.
No holed or looped material unless struck plain also. Our Nos. 1 to HK-3 are the sole exceptions.
No plastic, fiber or similar material unless issued also in one or more metals.
No purely presidential or political medals.
No school, college or athletic medals; no coin club or U.S. Armed Forces medals.
No calendar or store cards; no trade tokens or emergency money.

This size might explain why it was minted in Holland. Perhaps London declined to make it this size and Charles F. Smith had to look elsewhere to have these larger medals minted?
I have never seen another but it does get mentioned along with Paul Revere Dollar HK-506, Telephone Diamond Jubilee Dollar HK-506a, and Middlebury College Dollar HK-506b elsewhere but without images.

This 50mm Bronze medal is uncirculated and appears to include the original box.

This medal was issued by the American Commemorative Society, which was the trade name of Charles F. Smith of Boston MA and is mentioned here on another website in the first paragraph at top.
https://so-calleddollars.com/Events/American_Commemorative_Society.html
It does not have an HK number, but is listed as a product of Charles Smith around 1950-52.

The obverse reads BENJAMIN FRANKLIN / FOUNDER OF AN AMERICAN / INSTITUTION below a bust of Franklin. 1706 American Patriots Series 1790.

The reverse reads 1752 ANNIVERSARY OF KITE FLYING 1952 AMERICAN COMMEMORATIVE SOCIETY with what appears to be Franklin flying a kite with onlookers. There is lightning in the sky.

The edge is marked HOLLAND (probably struck in Holland as other Charles Smith medals were struck in London) and the artist Dom.Pol is marked in the field on both sides.

The box is marked by stamped ink on top:

FROM
OLD SOUTH ASSOCIATION
Old South Meeting House
Washington St.
BOSTON

Information passed on to me by a very knowledgable collector who uses the name commems on Coin Community Forums.

Charles E. Smith was a Boston coin dealer. I don't believe he was a big dealer or a "market maker" as I've not seen ads of his in the primary numismatic publication of the time - the ANA's The Numismatist. (This is just conjecture on my part, however.)

At the time Smith's medals were issued, the US Congress was putting the brakes on US commemorative half dollar coins. Smith may have believed he could fill a void in the marketplace by creating commemorative medals that were roughly the same size; Smith's medals were slightly larger at 32 mm in diameter to avoid running afoul of the US Government.

The Battle of Lexington, the Daniel Boone, the Lindbergh, the Antarctic Expedition and the Pony Express pieces were all originally issued prior to 1947; Whitehead and Hoag re-struck these medals for Smith from the dies they had used in prior years.

1947 and 1948 c.smith so-called half dollar checklist and similar Edisons

1947 C.SMITH PONY EXPRESS DIAMOND JUBILEE 1860-1935
1947 C.SMITH BATTLE OF LEXINGTON 150th 1775-1925
1947 C.SMITH DANIEL BOONE - LEXINGTON 1775-1925
1947 C.SMITH LINDBERGH - NY TO PARIS 1927
1947 C.SMITH R. BYRD ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION 1928-1930
1947 C.SMITH T. EDISON CENTENNIAL 1847-1947
1947 C.SMITH ROBERT E. LEE - CSA 1807-1870
1947 C.SMITH CONFEDERATE SEAL 1862

1948 C.SMITH BATTLESHIP MAINE 1898-1948
1948 C.SMITH ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY 1898-1948
1948 C.SMITH T.ROOSEVELT/SAN JUAN HILL 1898-1948
1948 C.SMITH ADMIRAL WILLIAM T.SAMPSON 1898-1948

These may have been minted by Whitehead-Hoag independently but have no connection to Charles E. Smith.
I have GILT versions of:
1935 PONY EXPRESS DIAMOND JUBILEE 1860-1935
1927 LINDBERGH - NY TO PARIS 1927
1930 R. BYRD ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION 1928-1930
1947 T. EDISON CENTENNIAL 1847-1947
(Still searching for Battle of Lexington, the Daniel Boone and unknown others to add)
Have a mysterious gilt
1948 ADMIRAL WILLIAM T.SAMPSON 1898-1948

I have found 7 other Edison issues that have the 1947 T. EDISON CENTENNIAL 1847-1947 obverse,
five having a different reverse and they include:
1939 Thomas A. Edison Bronze Edison Primary Batteries 50 years 1889-1939
1947 Thomas A. Edison Bronze Centennial 1847-1947 (bronze issues are also easily found, I have not added one yet.)
1947 Thomas A. Edison Bronze Salaam Temple Newark NJ
1947 Thomas A. Edison Bronze Crescent Temple Trenton NJ
1947 Thomas A. Edison Bronze Centennial General Electric Co. Lamp Dept
1947 Thomas A. Edison Bronze Centennial Roland Electrical Co. Baltimore
1947 Thomas A. Edison Bronze Central Illinois Light Co.

Ben Franklin
Anniversary of Kite Flying
American Commemorative Society 1752-1952

This is an elusive medal which I acquired recently.
I would not be surprised if it had the lowest mintage of these American Commemorative Society Charles F. Smith issues. Are there more? I do not know. Should it be designated as So-Called Dollar HK-506c?
Probably not.
Since it is 50 mm in diameter though, it does not meet So-Called Dollar requirements.

The Hibler and Kappen book defined so-called dollars this way:

Had to be United States only.
Minimum diameter - Size 21 (1-5/16 inch or 33mm).
Maximum diameter - Size 28 (1-3/4 inch or 45mm); but silver Bryan Dollars are listed.
No holed or looped material unless struck plain also. Our Nos. 1 to HK-3 are the sole exceptions.
No plastic, fiber or similar material unless issued also in one or more metals.
No purely presidential or political medals.
No school, college or athletic medals; no coin club or U.S. Armed Forces medals.
No calendar or store cards; no trade tokens or emergency money.

This size might explain why it was minted in Holland. Perhaps London declined to make it this size and Charles F. Smith had to look elsewhere to have these larger medals minted?
I have never seen another but it does get mentioned along with Paul Revere Dollar HK-506, Telephone Diamond Jubilee Dollar HK-506a, and Middlebury College Dollar HK-506b elsewhere but without images.

This 50mm Bronze medal is uncirculated and appears to include the original box.

This medal was issued by the American Commemorative Society, which was the trade name of Charles F. Smith of Boston MA and is mentioned here on another website in the first paragraph at top.
https://so-calleddollars.com/Events/American_Commemorative_Society.html
It does not have an HK number, but is listed as a product of Charles Smith around 1950-52.

The obverse reads BENJAMIN FRANKLIN / FOUNDER OF AN AMERICAN / INSTITUTION below a bust of Franklin. 1706 American Patriots Series 1790.

The reverse reads 1752 ANNIVERSARY OF KITE FLYING 1952 AMERICAN COMMEMORATIVE SOCIETY with what appears to be Franklin flying a kite with onlookers. There is lightning in the sky.

The edge is marked HOLLAND (probably struck in Holland as other Charles Smith medals were struck in London) and the artist Dom.Pol is marked in the field on both sides.

The box is marked by stamped ink on top:

FROM
OLD SOUTH ASSOCIATION
Old South Meeting House
Washington St.
BOSTON

Information passed on to me by a very knowledgable collector who uses the name commems on Coin Community Forums.

Charles E. Smith was a Boston coin dealer. I don't believe he was a big dealer or a "market maker" as I've not seen ads of his in the primary numismatic publication of the time - the ANA's The Numismatist. (This is just conjecture on my part, however.)

At the time Smith's medals were issued, the US Congress was putting the brakes on US commemorative half dollar coins. Smith may have believed he could fill a void in the marketplace by creating commemorative medals that were roughly the same size; Smith's medals were slightly larger at 32 mm in diameter to avoid running afoul of the US Government.

The Battle of Lexington, the Daniel Boone, the Lindbergh, the Antarctic Expedition and the Pony Express pieces were all originally issued prior to 1947; Whitehead and Hoag re-struck these medals for Smith from the dies they had used in prior years.

1947 and 1948 c.smith so-called half dollar checklist and similar Edisons

1947 C.SMITH PONY EXPRESS DIAMOND JUBILEE 1860-1935
1947 C.SMITH BATTLE OF LEXINGTON 150th 1775-1925
1947 C.SMITH DANIEL BOONE - LEXINGTON 1775-1925
1947 C.SMITH LINDBERGH - NY TO PARIS 1927
1947 C.SMITH R. BYRD ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION 1928-1930
1947 C.SMITH T. EDISON CENTENNIAL 1847-1947
1947 C.SMITH ROBERT E. LEE - CSA 1807-1870
1947 C.SMITH CONFEDERATE SEAL 1862

1948 C.SMITH BATTLESHIP MAINE 1898-1948
1948 C.SMITH ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY 1898-1948
1948 C.SMITH T.ROOSEVELT/SAN JUAN HILL 1898-1948
1948 C.SMITH ADMIRAL WILLIAM T.SAMPSON 1898-1948

These may have been minted by Whitehead-Hoag independently but have no connection to Charles E. Smith.
I have GILT versions of:
1935 PONY EXPRESS DIAMOND JUBILEE 1860-1935
1927 LINDBERGH - NY TO PARIS 1927
1930 R. BYRD ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION 1928-1930
1947 T. EDISON CENTENNIAL 1847-1947
(Still searching for Battle of Lexington, the Daniel Boone and unknown others to add)
Have a mysterious gilt
1948 ADMIRAL WILLIAM T.SAMPSON 1898-1948

I have found 7 other Edison issues that have the 1947 T. EDISON CENTENNIAL 1847-1947 obverse,
five having a different reverse and they include:
1939 Thomas A. Edison Bronze Edison Primary Batteries 50 years 1889-1939
1947 Thomas A. Edison Bronze Centennial 1847-1947 (bronze issues are also easily found, I have not added one yet.)
1947 Thomas A. Edison Bronze Salaam Temple Newark NJ
1947 Thomas A. Edison Bronze Crescent Temple Trenton NJ
1947 Thomas A. Edison Bronze Centennial General Electric Co. Lamp Dept
1947 Thomas A. Edison Bronze Centennial Roland Electrical Co. Baltimore
1947 Thomas A. Edison Bronze Central Illinois Light Co.

Uploaded files:

#3 · June 20, 2020, 8:34 pm

Yes I know the question was asked 7 years ago but I hope that helps a bit. I also know that probably none of the images I show are so called dollars but I hope that it was OK to post. This Franklin medal image has a watermark, only because I cannot find another image of one anywhere, and don't want it misused.

#4 · June 24, 2020, 8:22 am

updated

Uploaded files: