(1867) Nickel Pattern - J-A1867-14

Coin Details

Description

Judd-A1867-14 is a nickel pattern bearing the supplementary "A" prefix, indicating it was cataloged after the main Judd sequence was established. The parenthetical date (1867) indicates uncertainty about the exact year of production, though die characteristics and stylistic evidence place it within the extensive 1867 Shield nickel experimental program. The obverse and reverse designs relate to the Shield nickel type that had been introduced in 1866 as America's first five-cent piece. The 1867 Shield nickel pattern series is one of the most extensive in the Judd catalog, encompassing dozens of varieties that explored different design elements for the young denomination. These experiments addressed practical production challenges that had emerged during the first year of Shield nickel coinage, including difficulties with the complex obverse shield design and the rays-between-stars reverse motif that would be eliminated after 1866 in regular production. The "A" prefix varieties often represent pieces that surfaced in institutional collections, private holdings, or auction catalogs after the primary numbering was finalized. Their later cataloging does not diminish their historical importance — if anything, supplementary numbers may document rarer varieties that escaped notice precisely because so few specimens survived. The 1867 nickel patterns collectively represent the most thorough single-denomination experimentation of the Reconstruction era, as the Mint worked to optimize a brand-new coin type that would become one of the workhorses of American commerce for the next two decades.

Rarity Notes

R.7 to R.8. Very rare. Supplementary Judd numbers for 1867 nickel patterns typically survive in fewer than 5-10 specimens.

Cross References

Judd-A1867-14; cf. J-461 through J-579 (1867 Shield nickel pattern series)