1867 Double Eagle Patterns

About This Coin

Falling in the second year of the Reconstruction Era Patterns (1866-1869) series, the 1867 Double Eagle Patterns continued the Philadelphia Mint's exploration of alternative designs for the twenty-dollar gold denomination. These experimental pieces pushed design boundaries for America's highest-value circulating coin, testing obverse concepts that moved beyond the familiar Liberty Head composition. Reverse designs incorporated various experimental approaches, with some variants testing alternative metallic compositions including nickel and aluminum. A notable auction result of $19K in PR65+BN grade at Heritage Auctions places these patterns among the more accessible entries in the Reconstruction-era double eagle category, though all examples remain genuinely rare. The various Mint engravers responsible for these dies worked during a period of exceptional productivity, generating more experimental designs per year than at any previous point in Mint history. For collectors building comprehensive pattern sets, the 1867 Double Eagle Patterns document the middle period of Reconstruction-era experimentation, bridging the initial burst of post-war activity in 1866 with the culminating efforts of 1868-1869.