1857 Proof Double Eagle Pattern - J-190

Coin Details

Auction Record

$28,750 PR63 07-26-2003 Heritage Auctions

Description

Cataloged as Judd-190 (Pollock-3158) and be unique, this extraordinary 1857 double eagle pattern is a uniface reverse die trial struck in copper with a reeded edge. Only the reverse of the regular-issue twenty-dollar gold piece is present, as this is a trial impression from a single die rather than a complete two-sided striking. What makes this piece truly remarkable is the experimental manufacturing technique employed. According to Dr. J. Hewitt Judd's research, the planchet was passed through an "upsetting machine" both before and after striking, creating a distinctly concave profile. This process was the brainchild of J.T. Barclay, who proposed that making gold coins concave would deter the common fraud of shaving gold from a coin's surface. By forcing the planchet into a curved shape with thinner edges, any attempt to remove gold would be immediately obvious. While this anti-counterfeiting concept was never adopted for production coinage, the surviving trial piece documents an inventive approach to protecting the integrity of the nation's gold currency during an era when such fraud was a serious concern.