I'm working a side project to� catalog the Royal Hawaiian Mint issues relating to Crown Princess Ka'iulani of the Kingdom Hawai'i.� This catalog is roughly 90% complete. However, I spotted what seems to be a new variety being listed at an online� auction website. I purchased this specimen to confirm and document this variety. I was right. I spotted this repunched date a mile away (auction image was not of high quality). I snapped a few close-up pictures after I received the specimen.� This is the second repunched date identified in the Crown Princess Ka'iulani of the Kingdom Hawai'i issues by the Royal Hawaiian Mint.

I would never have made the connection of these medal to Hawaii without the COA (struck by Hawaii Pacific Mint for Dolphin Medallions. Apparently, the United States Submarine Veterans of World War II had these medals made for the group. The group has disbanded due to the low remaining WWII survivors.� https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Submarine_Veterans_of_World_War_III purchased them medal at separate times and I keep looking for them to add to my collection.Those members still surviving have move on to another group. https://www.ussvi.org/home.asp

In 2016, I won an online auction relating to an ice cream token. The seller hinted it was from Hawaii and I knew the seller was located in Hawaii as I had previous dealings with him. The text on the token does not mention Hawaii or a city in Hawaii, thus began my search. Normally, a pre-purchase prerequisite that I perform is to locate the numismatic item in a catalog or guidebook. This ice cream token was not listed in my copy of the Hawaiian Money Standard Catalog by Medcalf & Russell. Anyway, I took a chance and made the purchase.My numismatic search began while the token was in transit to me. I started to search various Hawaii sources. The key words I was searching with was "Velvet Ice Cream" which led me to an organization named "Honolulu Dairymen's Association". This is were the fun began. I started to search periodicals for my designated keywords from earliest to the latest in time. I found images relating to the keywords as early as 1915. My big break came when I visually noticed the font used on the word "Dairymen's" matched the ice cream token and a 1927 Hawaii advertisement. My visual search eventually led to the logo match of the keywords "Dairymen's Velvet Ice Cream" in a 1935 Hawaii advertisement.I included images of my search results. The Honolulu Dairymen's Association Ice cream token was highly likely used as early as the mid-20's to late as the late 30's in Hawaii on the island of Oahu.

One of my passions is Hawaii statehood medals,which includes the Hawaii the 49th state medals!The Territory of Hawaii was vying to be the 49th state to join the United States of America. As you well know Alaska became the 49th state and soon afterwards Hawaii became the 50th state.There was a period of time where many individuals and organizations believed Hawaii was to be the 49th State.Today, there are numismatic reminders of this period: So-Called Dollars HK-722 (nickel-silver), HK-722a (bright bronze), and HK-722b (antique bronze) varieties. These So-Called Dollars is available in two forms (if you can find them): Original and Holed. I believed holed specimens were created after President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood Act on July 7, 1958 allowing Alaska to become the 49th state on January 3. 1959. The holed specimens were in reaction to this event and was one method to physically obliviate Hawaii's 49th state bid from the medal (the other was to destroy the medal in its entirety). But why waste a medal? Just drill a hole to remove the 49th...This is were an issue arises. As you should be aware NGC implements Details Grading for holed specimens. As a result, the NGC population for the HK-722 varieties are ridiculously low for original (unholed) specimens. The NGC population are:HK-722 population is 1.HK-722a population is 4.HK-722b population is 0.Original unholed specimens are a rarity. So much so that in the Hibler Kappen book, So-Called Dollars: An Illustrated Standard Catalog, its HK-722 plate "con" is a holed specimen.In my included images, you will see an image with 5 specimens in my collection:HK-722 - Two holed nickel-silver specimensHK-722a - Two original bright bronze specimensHK-722b - One original antique bronze specimenUnfortunately, my original HK-722b received a NGC Details grade due to surface damage from bronze disease.Another interesting image is the original printing of the Hawaii 49th State brochure in my Hawaii statehood collection. I've only seen one other copy and it was in the National Archives. (link to the copy)

This blog entry was updated 12/28/2016� (as seen with italicized� text).