1870 Proof Quarter Pattern - J-880

Coin Details

Auction Record

$10,638 PR65 07-26-2003 Heritage Auctions

Description

Struck in aluminum with a reeded edge, J-880 pairs the Seated Liberty obverse and STANDARD wreath reverse with the most exotic metal in the 1870 pattern program. Aluminum was more expensive than silver in 1870, as the Hall-Heroult electrolytic refining process would not be invented until 1886, making pre-1886 aluminum patterns inherently paradoxical as demonstrations of economical coinage. An aluminum quarter would have weighed barely one-third of its silver counterpart, producing an unsettlingly lightweight coin that challenged fundamental assumptions about the relationship between a coin's heft and its purchasing power.

Rarity Notes

R-7. Extremely rare, estimated 4-12 examples known.

Cross References

Judd-880, Pollock-978