1827 Proof Quarter Pattern - J-48

Coin Details

Auction Record

$44,650 PR65BN 02-16-2017 Heritage Auctions

Description

Designated Judd-48 (Pollock-49, High R.7), this copper pattern pairs the obverse of the 1827/3 overdate quarter with a reverse die from 1819, identified as Browning-2. A key distinguishing feature is the square-base 2 in the 25 C. denomination on the reverse, contrasting with the curl-base 2 found on the original 1827 silver quarters. Struck in copper with a reeded edge. The copper and silver strikings of this issue are surrounded by uncertainty regarding their exact date of production. A compelling theory advanced by researchers Saul Teichman and Andy Lustig holds that these pieces were struck in the 1870s alongside other collector-oriented restrikes. Supporting this timeline, a copper example first appeared in a Haseltine sale of February 1877 — the same auction that included a copper Gobrecht dollar (Judd-59), indicating coordinated restrike production for the collector market. Five copper examples are currently known, with one permanently impounded in the Connecticut State Library. All display evidence of die rust on both faces, consistent with striking from dies that had been in storage for decades. At the time of the landmark Parmelee Collection sale in 1890, it was claimed that "only 3 struck," though subsequent discoveries have increased the census. These restrikes were almost certainly produced to satisfy collector demand for the rare 1827 quarter date, which was never issued for general circulation.