1855 Proof Half Dollar Pattern - J-175

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged as Judd-175, this 1855 half dollar pattern is an exceedingly rare proof issue from a year when the Philadelphia Mint was actively experimenting across multiple denominations. The obverse carries the Seated Liberty design by Christian Gobrecht, with Liberty seated on a rock holding a pole topped by a liberty cap, a shield at her side inscribed LIBERTY, surrounded by thirteen stars with the date 1855 below. The reverse displays the heraldic eagle with spread wings clutching an olive branch and arrows, encircled by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the denomination HALF DOL. Both the normal date and the 1855/854 overdate variety are known in proof format, though there is insufficient data to establish their relative rarity with certainty. Fewer than ten proof specimens survive in total, with no more than half a dozen absolutely confirmed as distinct coins. The extreme rarity of this issue makes it a major prize for collectors of Seated Liberty half dollar varieties and mid-nineteenth century proof coinage.