1866 Proof Nickel Pattern - J-502

Coin Details

Auction Record

$27,100 PR66 11-30-2010 eBay

Description

Another entry from the advanced experimental phase of the 1866 Shield Nickel testing program. The Mint's comprehensive approach to alloy evaluation during this period set a precedent that would influence American coinage policy for decades. When the twenty-cent piece was being developed in 1875, when aluminum was considered for coinage in the 1970s, and when the modern clad coinage was introduced in the 1960s, each program drew on the methodology first systematized during the 1866 nickel experiments. J-502 is thus not merely a numismatic curiosity but a milestone in the institutional development of the United States Mint as a metallurgical research facility as well as a production operation.

Rarity Notes

R.6 to R.7. Estimated 10-15 examples known.

Cross References

Pollock-3570