1849 Proof Three Cent Pattern - J-114

Coin Details

Auction Record

$18,000 PR65 01-05-2023 Heritage Auctions

Description

Judd-114, Pollock-128, Low R.7. This three-cent pattern combines the two reverse dies from Judd-111 and Judd-112, creating a mule with a large Arabic 3 on one side and a Roman numeral III on the other. The denticles are distinctively slanted and tooth-like, giving the coin a crude, almost primitive appearance. Struck in copper-nickel with a plain edge. The design earned sharp criticism from early catalogers -- W. Elliot Woodward, in his catalog of the celebrated Mickley Collection sale, famously declared it "the ugliest of all known coins and certainly one of the rarest." While the aesthetic judgment may be harsh, it captures the experimental and utilitarian nature of these early three-cent trials, where the Mint was focused on practical questions of denomination, size, and alloy rather than artistic refinement. The copper-nickel composition is particularly noteworthy, as it anticipates the alloy that would eventually be adopted for the three-cent nickel piece introduced in 1865.