1852 Proof Dollar Pattern - J-146

Coin Details

Auction Record

$34,500 PR65 03-24-2010 Heritage Auctions

Description

Judd-146 (Pollock-174) is a particularly elusive annular dollar pattern struck in silver on a perforated planchet with a plain edge. The obverse features an unusual decorative element around the central perforation, historically described by early catalogers as a "circle of six bows." The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA encircles the outer portion with the date 1852 at the bottom. The reverse carries the denomination DOLLAR above and an open wreath below. While technically rated R.7, the actual availability of J-146 merits an R.8 designation due to the number of specimens permanently impounded in institutional collections. No fewer than five examples reside in museums, the result of major collections donated by Byron Reed, J.C. Mitchelson, B. Peyton, and others during the late nineteenth century. This means fewer specimens are available to private collectors today than were in the 1890s, an unusual circumstance for a pattern coin. Early pattern specialists were well acquainted with this variety. R.C. Davis listed it as number 74 in his pioneering reference work, and it appeared in the R.C. Davis Collection sale (New York Coin & Stamp, January 1890) as lot 1032. The distinctive bow design surrounding the perforation makes J-146 one of the most visually striking pieces in the entire annular dollar series.