1885 Proof Half Eagle Pattern - J-1754

Coin Details

Auction Record

$32,200 • PR65 Cameo PCGS • 01-2016 • Heritage Auctions

Description

Judd-1754 is the 1885 Coronet half eagle pattern struck in aluminum with a reeded edge. The obverse features the Coronet Head Liberty by Christian Gobrecht, with LIBERTY inscribed on the coronet, thirteen stars around the border, and the date 1885 below. The reverse displays the heraldic eagle with shield, arrows, and olive branch, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and FIVE D. around the border, with IN GOD WE TRUST on a scroll above the eagle. The $5 half eagle was the workhorse of American gold coinage, and the Coronet Head design — introduced in 1839 and modified in 1866 with the With Motto reverse — would serve until Bela Lyon Pratt's incuse Indian Head design replaced it in 1908. This aluminum pattern was struck as part of the 1885 comprehensive set and represents one of the rarest entries in the gold denomination tier. Heritage Auctions recorded a PR65 Cameo example of J-1754 graded by PCGS, demonstrating the exceptional preservation that a few specimens have achieved. The combination of the half eagle's historical importance as America's first gold denomination (authorized in 1792) with the extreme rarity of the aluminum composition makes J-1754 a cornerstone piece for pattern collectors.

Rarity Notes

R-8. Only 2 to 3 specimens believed extant.

Cross References

Judd J-1754, Pollock P-1967