1855 Proof Cent Pattern - J-171a

Coin Details

Auction Record

$7,638 PR63 04-27-2016 Heritage Auctions

Description

Cataloged as Judd-171a (Pollock-196) and rated R.8, this extremely rare pattern presents the Flying Eagle design in an uncommon metallic composition. The obverse depicts an eagle in flight facing left, surrounded by thirteen stars with the date 1855 positioned below. The reverse centers the denomination ONE CENT within a laurel wreath, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA inscribed around the border. This variant was struck in German silver, a copper-nickel-zinc alloy that gives the piece a distinctive silvery-white appearance quite different from the copper and bronze specimens in this series. The choice of German silver reflects the Mint's broad exploration of base-metal alloys that could replace the increasingly impractical large copper cent. The plain edge is standard for these experimental issues. With only a handful of specimens exist, the J-171a stands as one of the scarcest metallic variants among the 1855 Flying Eagle cent patterns.