1871 Proof Half Dollar Pattern - J-1107

Coin Details

Auction Record

$39,100 PR66 01-03-2006 American Numismatic Rarities

Description

The aluminum variant of the first half dollar design group, J-1107 creates what is the most dramatic weight contrast of any pattern in the Trade Dollar era series. An aluminum half dollar weighs mere fractions of what the public expected from a fifty-cent coin, producing a cognitive dissonance between visual appearance and physical reality that would have been immediately disqualifying for commerce. The piece stands as a monument to the era's willingness to test even impractical ideas.

Rarity Notes

R-7 to R-8. Very rare, approximately 3-8 examples survive.

Cross References

Judd-1107, Pollock-1242