1880 Proof Four Dollar Pattern - J-1661, Metric Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$92,000 • PR64 • 01-05-2011 • Heritage Auctions

Description

A copper striking of the 1880 metric dollar pattern, distinct from both the goloid metric dollar series (J-1645 through J-1656) and the Stella series (J-1657 through J-1660). The metric dollar represented a broader concept than either program: where the goloid metric dollar tested a specific alloy and the Stella proposed a specific denomination for international trade, the metric dollar explored the general principle of expressing American coinage specifications in metric units compatible with European standards. The obverse features a Liberty head design, while the reverse presents the coin's weight and fineness in metric notation within an ornate framework. Struck in copper, this pattern documents the continued evolution of the international coinage movement that had animated American monetary policy throughout the 1870s. By 1880, the practical difficulties of achieving international monetary standardization had become apparent — different nations' gold-to-silver valuation ratios made a true universal coinage nearly impossible — but the intellectual appeal of the concept continued to generate pattern strikings at the Philadelphia Mint.

Rarity Notes

R-6. Approximately 15-25 examples survive, making this one of the more available 1880 four-dollar patterns.

Cross References

Judd J-1661, Pollock P-1861