1880 Proof Dollar Pattern - J-1654

Coin Details

Auction Record

$19,975 PR66 04-26-2017 Heritage Auctions

Description

A remarkable departure from the standard 38mm dollar format, J-1654 is a diminutive 22mm goloid metric dollar pattern — roughly the size of a modern dime — that explored whether the goloid alloy's inherent value could sustain the dollar denomination in a dramatically smaller coin. The reduced diameter represents one of the most radical proposals in the entire metric dollar program, testing the notion that a coin's purchasing power should derive from its intrinsic metallic content rather than its physical size. The obverse carries a miniaturized version of Barber's Liberty head, while the reverse compresses the goloid metric specifications into the reduced field. Struck in the goloid alloy, this coin packs a full dollar's worth of gold-silver-copper composition into a planchet roughly one-third the diameter of a standard silver dollar. The concept parallels the gold dollar, which had successfully circulated in a similarly small format since 1849, but applied to a new alloy composition rather than pure gold.

Rarity Notes

R-7. Estimated 5-12 specimens known. The miniature format adds significant novelty interest for collectors.

Cross References

Judd J-1654, Pollock P-1854