1854 Proof Cent Pattern - J-160

Coin Details

Auction Record

$7,800 PR66BN 08-10-2023 Heritage Auctions

Description

Judd-160, Pollock-187, rated R.4. Moving away from the lathe-reduced dollar obverse used on J-157 and J-158, the J-160 returns to a purpose-made design. The obverse features the familiar Braided Hair Liberty portrait by Christian Gobrecht, showing the head of Liberty facing left with her hair elaborately braided and bound, the date 1854 below — but notably without the ring of stars that normally surrounds the design on regular-issue large cents. The reverse carries a small laurel wreath enclosing the denomination ONE CENT, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the outer border. Struck in copper with a plain edge, the J-160 represents a more refined approach to the small cent question than the crude lathe-reduction experiments. The related J-161 uses identical dies but is struck in bronze, allowing the Mint to compare how the same design rendered in two different copper-based metals. With a rarity rating of R.4, the J-160 is among the more obtainable patterns in this series.