(1792) Cent Pattern - J-C1792-1, Dickeson Restrike

Coin Details

Auction Record

$2,640 MS64BN 04-29-2018 Heritage Auctions

Description

This copper piece is a privately-produced restrike created by Dr. Montroville Wilson Dickeson, a Philadelphia physician, archaeologist, and numismatist who was among the most colorful figures in 19th-century American collecting. Dickeson obtained a pair of dies that he believed were connected to the 1792 Birch or Getz cent experiments at the early United States Mint. In reality, the obverse die — featuring a defiant eagle perched on a rock — was an embossing die originally made around 1816 for stamping revenue paper, not coinage. Unaware of this, Dickeson commissioned a new reverse die reading "TRIAL PIECE / DESIGNED FOR / UNITED STATES / CENT. / 1792" and struck a small number of impressions, during the late 1850s. The pieces were apparently produced in two batches. Survivors typically display dark brown surfaces with some proof-like reflectivity on the reverse, while the obverse often shows die cracks from the already-deteriorated original die. Dickeson is also known for authoring "The American Numismatical Manual" (1859), the first comprehensive encyclopedia of United States coinage, and for his extensive archaeological excavations of Native American mound sites across the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys. These restrikes occupy a unique place in numismatics — they are genuine products of a historic die, but their combination with a fabricated reverse makes them fascinating fantasies rather than authentic Mint products.

Rarity Notes

R-6+ (estimated 13-30 known). Struck in two small batches circa 1859-1860. Electrotypes and copies also exist and must be distinguished from original strikes.

Cross References

Judd-C1792-1; Pollock-6001; Breen-1378