1814 Half Dollar Pattern - J-44

Coin Details

Auction Record

$500 VF30 04-27-2018 eBay

Description

Judd-44 is the historic 1814 platinum half dollar pattern, the only platinum coin known to have been struck by the United States Mint prior to the modern bullion program that began in 1997. The obverse features John Reich's Capped Bust portrait of Liberty facing left, and the reverse displays the spread eagle with shield, identical to the standard 1814 Capped Bust half dollar design. The coin was struck in platinum at the Philadelphia Mint, as an experimental piece to test the metal's suitability for coinage. Andrew Pollock recorded just two known examples: one in the Smithsonian Institution's National Numismatic Collection (which bears a heavy test cut on the rim), and the specimen that eventually received the J-44a designation. The use of platinum for this die trial is remarkable, as the metal was extremely difficult to work in the early 19th century and would not become a standard coinage metal for nearly two centuries.

Rarity Notes

R.8. Only 2 examples confirmed; the Smithsonian specimen has a test cut.

Cross References

Pollock-51