1857 Proof Quarter Pattern - J-188

Coin Details

Auction Record

$16,450 PR64BN 06-08-2017 Heritage Auctions

Description

Designated Judd-188 (Pollock-225) and rated Low R.7, this 1857 quarter pattern combines a regular-issue Seated Liberty quarter obverse with a highly unusual incomplete reverse die. The obverse presents the standard Christian Gobrecht design of Liberty seated with shield and pole, surrounded by thirteen stars with the date 1857 below, as used on quarters struck for circulation that year. The reverse, however, reveals a die that was clearly still in progress when this trial impression was made. The inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and QUAR. DOL. Appear at the rim in a notably smaller font than on regular-issue quarters, and the letter Q is shaped quite differently from its production counterpart. Most strikingly, the center of the reverse is entirely blank — the eagle device had not yet been engraved into this die. Struck in copper with a plain edge rather than the reeded edge of circulation quarters, this pattern provides a rare glimpse into the die-making process at the Philadelphia Mint. The incomplete reverse indicates this was a working proof or test impression used to evaluate the progress of die preparation rather than a formal design proposal.