1838 Proof Half Dollar Pattern - J-78, Restrike

Coin Details

Auction Record

$24,150 PR65 01-01-2009 Heritage Auctions

Description

Cataloged as Judd-78 (Pollock-84) and rated High R.7, this copper half dollar pattern is a restrike sharing the same basic Seated Liberty obverse and heraldic eagle reverse as Judd-77, but distinguished by its reeded edge and medallic die alignment. The obverse presents Liberty seated with a shield and pole, LIBERTY in incuse letters on the scroll, thirteen surrounding stars, and the date below. The reverse carries the spread-winged eagle with olive branch and four arrows, encircled by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and HALF DOLLAR. Like its plain-edge counterpart (J-77), all known examples of Judd-78 show extensive die rust from decades of storage between the original die creation and the restrike production period. The surviving population is estimated at just four specimens, with half of those currently held in museum collections, leaving only two examples potentially available to private collectors. This extreme scarcity meant the variety was absent from virtually all of the greatest pattern collections of the 19th and early 20th centuries, including those of Linderman, Parmelee, Woodside, Woodin, Farouk, and Lohr. The variety was also unlisted in Adams-Woodin and unrepresented at the 1914 ANS Exhibition.