1853 Proof Cent Pattern - J-151c

Coin Details

Auction Record

$8,225 PR64 10-30-2014 Stack's Bowers

Description

Judd-151c, Pollock-179, rated R.7. This unusual pattern was struck from an intentionally unfinished obverse die that shows only the border dentils — no portrait, legends, date, or other design elements appear on the face of the coin. The reverse employs the same ONE CENT laurel wreath die used on the J-149 through J-151 series. Struck in a copper-nickel composition (40% nickel, 60% copper) with a plain edge, unlike the reeded edge found on the finished-obverse J-151. The blank obverse was shared with the related J-151b and J-151d varieties, each struck in a different alloy. These unfinished-die strikings was produced for metallurgical testing purposes, where the obverse design was irrelevant to evaluating how the planchet material responded to the coining press. Fewer than half a dozen specimens survive, making this among the rarest varieties in the 1853 small cent pattern series.