In the period between April 16 and 18, an auction in Rosemont, Illinois, will present one of the three famous gold Wilson dollars issued in 1920. Collectors dubbed the coin "Wilson Dollar" and it was struck to mark the opening of Manila Mint[¹⁰⁶⁴]. The event took place on July 16, 1920 and it is worth mentioning that the Manila Mint is currently the only United States branch mint to ever function beyond the continental United States.

The Wilson Dollar appears in the catalog for the Official Auction of the Central States Numismatic Society convention, which will take place in Rosemont, Illinois. The catalog can be viewed on the official website of Heritage Auction Galleries.

"The Philippines became a U.S. territory in 1899, following the 1898 Spanish-American War. Between 1903 and 1919, the coins of the Philippines were struck at the Philadelphia and San Francisco Mints. Filipino coins were struck at the Manila Mint between 1920 and 1942, when the Islands were occupied by the Japanese during World War II. The Philippines became an independent republic in 1946," mentioned Harvey Gamer, a Heritage specialist.

"The Wilson Dollar was designed by George Morgan, who was the Mint's Chief Engraver in 1920, and who was also responsible for one of America's most beloved coins, the silver Morgan Dollar. The obverse[¹⁰⁸⁴] (front) of the coin depicts a vibrant left-facing bust of President Wilson, who at the time was devastated by a stroke. The reverse[¹¹³⁹] (back) design features Juno Moneta kneeling with a youth, with elements borrowed from the reverse of the 1915-S Panama-Pacific commemorative half dollar[¹⁰²²]. Befitting its special presentation status, this gold piece was struck at least three times - the evidence of the additional strikes is faintly visible on the date and other legends. The item has been certified by Numismatic Guaranty Corp. as MS62," added Mr. Gamer.

In the end he concluded that if taking into consideration the standard reference on this coin, written by Hibler-Kappen, "only five gold pieces [were] reportedly struck" and all of them have been granted an HK-1031 reference number.

Wilson dollars made in silver[¹¹⁶⁴] (HK-449) and copper (HK-450) are also very rare. One of these coins was offered to President Woodrow Wilson, the other went to the U.S. Secretary of War, and 3 Wilson dollars remained in the Philippines and later were lost during World War II.

"Heritage offered a different gold Wilson dollar in our February 2008 Medals and Tokens Signature auction, as lot 81185, but that piece had a mount removed from its edge. This example is unimpaired, and may be the only such pristine remaining gold example," said Gamer.