1794 Half Dime Pattern - J-15

Coin Details

Auction Record

$156,000 MS64BN 02-25-2021 Heritage Auctions

Description

The 1794 copper half dime pattern, designated Judd-15 (Pollock-19, R.8), was struck from the same dies used to produce regular-issue 1794 half dimes of the Valentine-3, Logan-McCloskey 3 variety, with the date positioned close to the bust. The piece was struck in copper with a reeded edge, distinguishing it from the silver business strikes. In his comprehensive reference United States Patterns and Related Issues, Andrew Pollock III subdivided the traditional Judd-15 designation into two closely related classifications. Pollock-19 corresponds to the V-3/LM-3 die pairing with the close date, while Pollock-20 uses the V-4/LM-4 dies with a wider date-to-bust spacing. This coin belongs to the former grouping. As a true die trial produced in 1794 or early 1795 to test the half dime dies, this piece holds considerable historical significance. The 1794 half dime was the first coin of this denomination actually struck within the Mint walls — the celebrated 1792 half dismes had been produced at John Harper's workshop before the facility was completed. Records show all 1794 half dimes were delivered on March 30, 1795, indicating these copper trials were made shortly before that date. Only two examples of the Pollock-19 variety are confirmed, both remarkably well preserved, indicating they were recognized as special pieces from the very beginning. The earliest published record of this pattern appears in Robert Coulton Davis's serial listing of pattern coinage in The Coin Collector's Journal (1885-1886), where it was curiously described as a "pattern mill, or 1/10 of a cent" — an attribution traceable to an 1867 Woodward sale catalog description of a similar piece from the Mickley Collection.