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

Coin Details

Auction Record

Description

This copper piece is a privately-produced restrike created by Dr. Montroville Wilson Dickeson, a Philadelphia physician, archaeologist, and numismatist. The eagle-on-a-rock die he used was a rejected embossing die for stamping revenue paper, not a coinage die; he seems to have taken it for a rejected 1792 cent design, had a reverse die made, and struck a small number of impressions around 1860 (NGC dates them c.1859, uspatterns the early 1860s). 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), 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

about a dozen known in copper (USPatterns.com)

Cross References

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