1915 Quarter Pattern - J-C1915-A, Obverse

Coin Details

Auction Record

$3,055 MS64 10-30-2014 Stack's Bowers

Description

This uniface obverse impression is the companion piece to the J-C1915-2 reverse pattern, together forming a privately-produced quarter dollar design from 1915. The obverse features a Liberty head portrait, reflecting the artistic ferment of the period when America's coin designs were being reimagined under the influence of the City Beautiful movement and President Roosevelt's push for more artistic coinage. The use of an "A" suffix rather than a numeric Judd number indicates this piece was cataloged separately or added to the reference at a different time than its reverse counterpart. Both pieces share the same NGC catalog number (NGC-15670), indicating that the grading service considers them parts of the same design concept. As a privately-issued pattern, this obverse was created by an undocumented die sinker working outside the official US Mint, as a speculative design submission or as a collector piece intended to showcase what a new quarter might look like. The timing is notable: the outgoing Barber quarter design by Charles Barber had been in service since 1892 and was widely criticized as uninspired, fueling public and congressional demand for a replacement that would arrive in 1916 with Hermon MacNeil's Standing Liberty design.

Rarity Notes

Extremely rare. Known in only a handful of specimens. The obverse and reverse pieces are cataloged separately but survive in similar numbers.

Cross References

Judd-C1915-A; Pollock-5180