1885 Proof Three Cent Pattern - J-1741

Coin Details

Auction Record

$9,200 PR66 06-02-2005 Heritage Auctions

Description

Judd-1741 is an 1885 three-cent nickel pattern struck in aluminum with a plain edge, using the regular production dies for the three-cent nickel denomination. The obverse features the Liberty Head design facing left with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the periphery and the date 1885 below. The reverse displays the Roman numeral III within a wreath. The three-cent nickel denomination was among the smallest and least popular coins in active production by 1885, with mintages declining sharply throughout the decade. The denomination would be officially discontinued in 1889, making this 1885 aluminum pattern one of the last experimental strikings of the type. Only four more years of regular production remained when this pattern was struck, and the coin's increasingly marginal commercial role was reflected in public indifference — the three-cent piece had been rendered largely obsolete by the five-cent nickel, which offered more convenient value for everyday transactions. As an aluminum striking from the comprehensive 1885 set, J-1741 is extremely rare. The combination of the denomination's obscurity, the pattern's rarity, and its status as a late-era three-cent piece makes this an important transitional artifact, documenting one of American coinage's shortest-lived denominations in the twilight of its existence.

Rarity Notes

R-7 to R-8. Fewer than 5 specimens believed extant. One of the last three-cent nickel patterns produced.

Cross References

Judd J-1741, Pollock P-1953