1870 Proof Quarter Pattern - J-920

Coin Details

Auction Record

$5,758 PR65+BN 01-26-2017 Legend Rare Coin Auctions

Description

Copper with a reeded edge, J-920 applies the single-star headband Liberty Head and regular-issue eagle reverse to a base metal that transforms the design's character through color alone. Where the silver version reads as a potential production coin, the copper version announces itself immediately as an experimental piece, its reddish-brown surfaces incompatible with the silver denomination proclaimed on the eagle reverse. This visual tension between design and material is a defining feature of off-metal patterns, making them simultaneously impossible coins and invaluable documents of the design process.

Rarity Notes

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

Cross References

Judd-920, Pollock-1024