1885 Proof Three Dollar Pattern - J-1753

Coin Details

Auction Record

$37,375 PR64 01-01-2009 Heritage Auctions

Description

Judd-1753 is the 1885 Indian Head three-dollar gold pattern struck in aluminum with a reeded edge. The obverse features James B. Longacre's Indian Princess design — a female Liberty wearing a feathered headdress inscribed LIBERTY, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the periphery and the date 1885 below. The reverse displays a wreath of tobacco, wheat, corn, and cotton enclosing 3 DOLLARS. The three-dollar gold piece was among the most unusual denominations in American coinage history, authorized by the Act of February 21, 1853, ostensibly to facilitate the purchase of three-cent stamps in quantity. By 1885 the denomination had long outlived its original purpose, and mintages had fallen to minuscule levels — only 801 proofs and 910 business strikes were produced for circulation that year. The denomination would be discontinued entirely in 1889, making this aluminum pattern one of the final experimental strikings of the type. Although cataloged as a die trial, J-1753 was almost certainly struck deliberately for sale to collectors as part of the complete 1885 aluminum set. Only two specimens are confirmed, placing it firmly among the rarest entries in the set. The three-dollar denomination's inherent oddity, combined with the extreme rarity of this aluminum variant, makes J-1753 a coveted prize for advanced pattern collectors.

Rarity Notes

R-8. Only 2 confirmed specimens. Among the rarest entries in the 1885 aluminum set.

Cross References

Judd J-1753, Pollock P-1966