1877 Proof Fifty Dollar Pattern - J-1549

Coin Details

Auction Record

$575,000 PR67 01-01-2009 Heritage Auctions

Description

Proof fifty dollar pattern struck in 1877, at the peak of goloid metric experimentation, when Mint Director Linderman pursued aggressive testing of silver-gold-copper alloy compositions for potential international trade coins. This proof striking in gold is part of the the proposed Half Union denomination, the largest denomination ever seriously considered for U.S. coinage conducted at the Philadelphia Mint under Chief Engraver William Barber.

Rarity Notes

R-7 to R-8 (Extremely Rare). Gold denomination patterns from this era are among the rarest, with most varieties known in fewer than ten specimens.

Cross References

Judd J-1549, Pollock P-1694