1896 Proof Cent Pattern - J-1767

Coin Details

Auction Record

$6,325 PR64 07-27-2008 Stack's

Description

Judd-1767 is a proof pattern cent struck in nickel with a plain edge, one of the most desirable pieces from the 1896 alloy testing series. The obverse carries Charles Barber's shield design featuring a striped shield with LIBERTY on a scroll, crossed poles behind topped by a Phrygian cap and an eagle, E PLURIBUS UNUM above, and the date 1896 below, with a beaded border. The reverse shows ONE CENT within a curved olive sprig, surrounded by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and a beaded border. The pure nickel composition gives this piece a distinctive silvery-white color and brilliant proof surfaces. As one of only a handful of post-1885 patterns that occasionally appear in private collections, J-1767 is genuinely collectible despite its rarity. The shield obverse was designed by Barber specifically for this experimental series and does not correspond to any adopted coin design, making these 1896 patterns a unique design type within the broader catalog of American pattern coinage. The nickel composition produced sharp, well-defined details in the shield's stripes and the olive sprig's leaves, demonstrating that pure nickel could produce aesthetically pleasing coins when given the careful striking attention of proof production. The shield design's patriotic imagery — combining the national shield with the eagle, liberty cap, and E PLURIBUS UNUM motto — reflects the Gilded Age's continued reverence for Civil War-era symbolism.

Rarity Notes

R-7. Fewer than 10 examples exist in private hands.

Cross References

Judd J-1767, Pollock P-1982