1870 Proof Quarter Pattern - J-884
Strike Type
Coin Details
Description
The 1870 Proof Quarter Pattern - J-884 is a proof quarter from the Standard Silver Patterns (1870) series. The obverse features experimental designs for a proposed "Standard Silver Dollar" of reduced weight and the reverse displays various experimental designs. Minted during Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, as the nation healed from civil war and debated the role of silver and gold in the monetary system. As a proof issue, this coin was struck multiple times on specially prepared polished planchets using polished dies, producing mirror-like fields and frosted design elements prized by collectors. Struck in copper. Cataloged as PCGS #800031. The juxtaposition of a base-metal composition with the familiar quarter reverse design creates a striking cognitive dissonance: the reverse announces this as a United States quarter dollar, yet the copper planchet contradicts that identity. These off-metal strikings were prized by pattern collectors of the period, who assembled complete compositional sets documenting every metal in which a given die pair was employed.
Rarity Notes
R-6. Rare, estimated 15-25 examples survive.
Cross References
Judd-884, Pollock-982
External References
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