1850 Proof Cent Pattern - J-120, Restrike

Coin Details

Auction Record

$6,463 PR64 06-07-2015 Heritage Auctions

Description

Judd-120, Pollock-135, High R.7. Struck from the same dies as the perforated Judd-119, this rare variant was produced without the central hole, leaving the planchet intact as a solid annular disc. One side bears the denomination and date, while the other displays USA above and ONE TENTH SILVER below. Struck in billon alloy (10% silver, 90% copper) with a plain edge. This pattern represents the Mint's experimentation with reducing the large copper cent to a more manageable size. The lack of perforation distinguishes it from the original Judd-119 strikings and indicate restrike production -- the "midnight minters" who produced these collector pieces had little interest in the extra step of perforating planchets before striking. The billon composition, combining mostly copper with a small silver content, was one of several alloy experiments the Mint conducted during this period as it searched for an acceptable replacement for the increasingly impractical large cent.