1849 Three Cent Pattern - J-113, Restrike

Coin Details

Description

Judd-113 Restrike is a later impression from the dies of the 1849 three-cent pattern, produced after the original striking date. The obverse features a Liberty Head design appropriate to the period, while the reverse displays the denomination THREE CENTS within a decorative border. Restrikes were commonly produced at the Philadelphia Mint during the mid-nineteenth century, often at the direction of Mint officials who maintained access to retired pattern dies and used them to produce specimens for collectors, visiting dignitaries, and the numismatic trade. The three-cent denomination was authorized by the Act of March 3, 1851, making this 1849 pattern a precursor struck two years before the coin entered production. The denomination was created primarily to facilitate the purchase of postage stamps, which had been reduced from five cents to three cents by the postal reform of 1851. Pattern pieces from 1849 document the Mint's advance planning for the denomination, as congressional discussions about postal rate changes and the corresponding need for a three-cent coin were well underway by that date. Restrikes of early patterns present an interesting attribution challenge. They typically show different surface characteristics from originals — sometimes exhibiting die rust, lapping marks, or clash evidence accumulated during the years between original production and restrike. The restrike designation for this J-113 variety indicates numismatic consensus that surviving specimens were produced meaningfully later than 1849, in the 1850s or 1860s when collector interest in Mint patterns was growing rapidly.

Rarity Notes

R.6. Approximately 12-20 specimens known, including both original strikings and restrikes.

Cross References

Judd-113; Restrike