1850 Proof Cent Pattern - J-124c

Coin Details

Auction Record

Description

Judd-124C, Pollock-141, R.8. This cent pattern features a slightly different design from its Judd-124 siblings: the obverse displays CENT above and 1850 below, framed by two rosettes, while the reverse emphatically states ONE CENT within a wreath -- leaving no doubt about the intended denomination. This is one of the unperforated versions among the five known variants of this basic design produced in 1850. Struck in nickel with a plain edge. The use of pure nickel is particularly noteworthy among the 1850 cent pattern experiments. While most varieties in this series were struck in billon, copper, or copper-nickel alloys, the nickel composition of Judd-124C represents a more ambitious metallurgical experiment. Nickel's hardness and distinctive silvery color would have made it easily distinguishable from copper coinage, though the metal proved challenging to strike and would not see widespread use in American coinage until the three-cent nickel of 1865 and the Shield nickel of 1866. USPatterns counts about a half dozen, the most of these mulings, and notes that it was J-152a in earlier editions of Judd.

Rarity Notes

R-7 (USPatterns.com)

Cross References

Judd-124c; Pollock-141; Adams-Woodin 139; formerly Judd-152a