The 1826 Erie Canal Completion medal is often called the first “So-Called Dollar” and is listed as HK-1000 in the Hibler-Kappen reference, alongside those in white metal (HK-1) and gold (HK-1001). The medal celebrates the completion of the canal that connects the Great Lakes and the Hudson River, connecting America’s rivers to the Atlantic Ocean. It significantly reduced shipping times and costs of goods from the interior of the country to the East coast and beyond.

The obverse shows Pan’s visit to Neptune with a cornucopia, the ocean and a lighthouse in the distance with the inscription “Union of Erie with the Atlantic.” The reverse depicts the New York state arms, a representation of the canal and its locks on one side and New York City on the other. Any silver example is coveted, and this one, graded Specimen 63 by Professional Coin Grading Service, sold for $12,000 in Stack's Bowers' March 25 auction.

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