1855 Proof Cent Pattern - J-169

Coin Details

Auction Record

$4,994 PR60 03-09-2017 Kagin's

Description

Judd-169, Pollock-194, rated R.7. This scarce pattern presents the flying eagle design in oroide — a gold-colored alloy of copper and tin that gives the coin a striking brass-like appearance quite unlike any of its copper or bronze counterparts. The obverse displays a large eagle in flight surrounded by thirteen stars with the date 1855, while the reverse features the denomination ONE CENT enclosed within a thick laurel wreath, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the outer border. The edge is plain. The choice of oroide was experimental, testing whether a gold-toned alloy might serve as an alternative coinage metal, though the visual similarity to gold would have caused public confusion and made this composition impractical for circulation. With a rarity rating of R.7, only an estimated 4 to 12 specimens survive, making this one of the scarcer 1855 cent patterns and a visually distinctive piece that stands out in any collection of pre-Civil War experimental coinage.