With the death of Associate Justice John Marshall Harlan, President William Howard Taft gets to fill a sixth seat on the Supreme Court. Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen reaches the South Pole. In sports, the first Indianapolis 500 is won by Ray Harroun. In the World Series, the Philadelphia Athletics defeat the New York Giants in six games, while groundbreaking is held for Fenway Park in Boston. Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant start Chevrolet to compete with the Ford Model T.
U.S. COINS
Dies for Indian half eagles could not be highly polished like previous designs. Instead, the coins show a slight matte-like texture, which gives them a different finish and enhances their collectability. This 1911-D $5 graded MS65+ PCGS realized $299,000 at a January 2011 Heritage auction.
FINE ART
Thomas Moran (1837-1926) is considered one of the premier painters of the American West. His oil on canvas A Bit of Acoma, New Mexico, 1911, sold for $81,250 in December 2013.
CURRENCY
Until the discovery of this $500 1911 Canadian note, there were only two examples in private hands. These high denomination pieces were actually used in commerce. This example realized $322,000 at a September 2008 auction.
SPORTS
This press pin, produced for news reporters covering the 1911 World Series, is considered the first Series press pin ever made. It sold for $108,000 at a February 2017 Heritage auction.
This article appears in the Fall 2020 edition of The Intelligent Collector magazine. Click here to subscribe to the print edition.