1865 Proof Three Dollar Pattern - J-441

Coin Details

Auction Record

$14,950 PR66 01-01-2009 Heritage Auctions

Description

Judd-441, Pollock-516, is a copper striking of the three-dollar gold piece produced as a restrike, manufactured around 1872 rather than in 1865. The obverse die used for J-441 is identifiable as one first employed in 1872 for regular three-dollar gold production, conclusively dating the actual striking to that later period. Restrikes of this type were produced at the Philadelphia Mint to satisfy collector demand for rarities, a practice that was widespread among Mint officials during the 1860s and 1870s before reforms curtailed the production of coins outside normal channels. The copper composition gives J-441 a warm palette of colors described in auction catalogs as sunrise-yellow, sage, russet, and rose. The three-dollar denomination was itself a rarity in regular production, so a copper off-metal restrike represents an exceptional convergence of scarcity factors.

Rarity Notes

Rarity-7 (Low R-7). Estimated 7-12 specimens. Actually struck circa 1872 using an obverse die from that year. PR63 BN and PR64 BN examples documented.

Cross References

Judd-441; Pollock-516