1884 Proof Quarter Pattern - J-1729

Coin Details

Auction Record

PCGS PR64 Brown realized $20,400 (Heritage, August 2018). Described as unique.

Description

A copper impression of the 1884 Seated Liberty quarter dollar, J-1729 has been described by Heritage Auctions as unique — the sole surviving example of this die combination on a copper planchet. The Seated Liberty design, introduced by Christian Gobrecht in 1838 and subsequently modified with arrows, rays, and the IN GOD WE TRUST motto, was approaching the end of its half-century run by 1884. The design would be replaced by Charles Barber's Liberty Head quarter in 1892, making these late-date Seated Liberty patterns particularly significant as records of a design in its final years. The unique status of J-1729 places it among the most important individual American pattern coins. Unique patterns present a particular challenge for numismatic scholarship, as the absence of comparison specimens makes it difficult to assess whether the surviving piece represents the entire production run or whether additional examples may await discovery. The copper planchet shows the full detail of the Seated Liberty design, with Liberty enthroned on a rock holding a liberty cap on a pole, surrounded by thirteen stars.

Rarity Notes

R-8 (Unique). Only one specimen is known to exist. Graded PR64 Brown by PCGS.

Cross References

Judd J-1729, Pollock P-1940