1959 HAWAII STATEHOOD OFFICIAL MEDALS
GOLD, SILVER & BRONZE
63.5 mm.
Gold NGC MS68, Silver NGC MS66, Bronze NGC MS67
216 gm. of .900 fine gold or 7.6 Ounces of .900 gold
Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959, and the state legislature authorized an official medal, struck by Medallic Art Co. and distributed by the Coin and Currency Institute, New York City. The medals were all 2 1/2" in diameter, but struck in three different alloys. The gold issue was limited to 100 pieces, but only "approximately 50" were struck. Of the issued quantity, some have presumably been melted over the years to reclaim the bullion. The initial pieces struck denoted the Hawaiian isle Niihau as "NII HAU," but the error was soon discovered. The dies were corrected, and production continued.