1883 Proof Nickel Pattern - J-1720

Coin Details

Auction Record

$18,800 PR65 04-24-2013 Heritage Auctions

Description

The final five-cent pattern of the 1883 series, J-1720 features obverse and reverse designs similar to those adopted for the "With CENTS" regular-issue coinage but with a wreath configuration that differs from the production version. Struck in aluminum with a plain edge, this pattern represents the last experimental evaluation of the Liberty Head nickel design before the production program proceeded with the standard copper-nickel composition. The aluminum planchet gives J-1720 a distinctly silvery appearance and dramatically lighter weight compared to the nickel and copper-nickel versions that precede it in the catalog, creating an almost ethereal impression of Barber's Liberty Head portrait. The use of aluminum for the closing pattern in the series may reflect a final speculative test of a metal that was rapidly declining in cost during the 1880s — within three years, the Hall-Heroult process would make aluminum commercially affordable, though by then the Liberty Head nickel's composition was firmly established in copper-nickel. J-1720 closes a remarkably comprehensive pattern program that documented every major design concept and compositional option considered during one of the most significant denomination transitions in American coinage history.

Rarity Notes

R-7 (Very Rare). Approximately 7-10 examples estimated. As the final entry in the nickel pattern sequence, J-1720 holds particular significance for series completists.

Cross References

Judd J-1720, Pollock P-1927