Lusterrules So-Called Dollars

Owner Comments:

In the early 1890’s, the Kankakee marsh lands east of Momence, Illinois were producing thousands of tons of wild hay annually which was the major agricultural product of the area. The editor of the Momence newspaper, Charles S. McNichols came up with the idea of building a large medieval castle using pressed bales of hay to construct the walls and towers as a way to promote the products and natural resources of eastern Illinois and western Indiana. On October 1, 1890, The Inter State Hay Palace Exposition opened and ran until October 9th. The expo was such a success that its directors decided to hold it again the following year. The second Inter State Hay Palace Exposition opened on September 19, 1891 and ran until September 26. It used a new version of the Hay Palace which was still built using pressed bales of hay, but was larger than the original and covered an area of 224 by 217 feet with a center dome that was 90 feet high. Like its predecessor, the 1891 Inter State Hay Palace Exposition was a success also, however for unknown reasons no other expositions were held in the years that followed. Souvenir medals were struck for both the 1890 & 1891 expositions, but were not included in the HK reference book. This piece is one of the medals that were struck as a souvenir of the 1891 Momence, IL Inter State Hay Palace and is shown on John Raymond’s web site as Unlisted So-Called Dollar #671. It is made of aluminum and struck on a fairly thick planchet. It has a superior strike and Deep-Proof-Like surfaces. It is also an un-holed example, which is very rare for this issue. The eye appeal of this medal is far nicer in hand than I was able to capture in my photos. The NGC census shows that they have graded only two of these medals and this piece, at MS-65 Deep-Proof-Like is the finest known example. Un-holed examples are listed on John Raymond’s web site as being extremely rare (R7 to R8).