1836 Proof Dollar Pattern - J-69

Coin Details

Auction Record

$22,800 PR66 01-16-2022 Heritage Auctions

Description

Designated Judd-69 (Pollock-72, High R.7), this silver pattern presents the same cap-and-rays gold dollar design as Judd-67 but struck in silver rather than gold. The obverse carries a Liberty cap inscribed LIBERTY, surrounded by a radiant glory of rays — the same motif that appeared on the 1836 Mint medal celebrating the advent of steam-powered coinage at Philadelphia. The reverse displays the denomination 1 D. in two lines, enclosed by a palm frond, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the date 1836 around the rim. Struck in silver with a plain edge. This silver striking allows collectors to appreciate Gobrecht's cap-and-rays design in a different medium than the original gold. The design elements translate effectively to silver, though the piece lacks the warm luster of its gold counterpart. Approximately a dozen examples have been struck in silver, making this a considerably rarer issue than the R.5-rated gold version. The pattern serves as further evidence of the Mint's experimentation with the gold dollar concept in 1836, more than a decade before the denomination was officially authorized by Congress in 1849.