1866 Three Dollar Pattern - J-C1866-3, Merriam Fantasy

Coin Details

Description

This gold fantasy piece is attributed to Joseph H. Merriam, a 19th-century medalist and coin dealer who produced various unauthorized numismatic items for the collector market. Merriam operated in the Philadelphia area and had connections to individuals with access to Mint facilities and die-sinking equipment. The obverse of this piece bears a bearded portrait of President Abraham Lincoln facing right, encircled by the motto "GOD AND OUR COUNTRY" — a sentiment that echoed the recently adopted "IN GOD WE TRUST" motto that first appeared on US coinage in 1864. The reverse features a wreath of oak and laurel leaves surrounding the Roman numeral "III" indicating the three-dollar denomination. The piece was struck around 1868, two years after its displayed date, using a combination of a privately-engraved Lincoln obverse die and an unused or copied Mint reverse die. Scholars have also noted similarities between Merriam's work and that of William Key, a private die sinker with ties to the Philadelphia Mint, indicating possible collaboration. The three-dollar gold denomination was itself an oddity in American coinage — authorized in 1854 primarily to facilitate the purchase of sheets of three-cent postage stamps — making it a fitting canvas for an equally unusual private fantasy. These Merriam productions occupy a respected niche in pattern collecting as creative numismatic artifacts of the post-Civil War era.

Rarity Notes

R-7+ (estimated 4 or fewer known). Among the rarest of the 1866 Lincoln three-dollar fantasies. Gold composition makes surviving examples exceptionally valuable.

Cross References

Judd-C1866-3; Pollock-5090; Cunningham 15-740X (related series)