1961 Bashlow Restrike, Aluminum Cent

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,080 MS64 11-26-2024 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1961 Bashlow Restrike of the Confederate Cent in aluminum is one of the more distinctive metal varieties in Robert Bashlow’s centennial restrike series. Aluminum gives this piece a remarkably light weight and bright silvery appearance, creating a Confederate cent that looks and feels dramatically different from the copper-nickel originals or the copper and bronze restrikes produced by Haseltine and others. Aluminum was a bold choice for a coin restrike, as the metal was not used for any United States coinage until wartime cent experiments in 1974 and has never been adopted for regular production. The lightweight composition — roughly one-third the weight of copper — gives the Bashlow aluminum cent an almost token-like feel, though the design details are rendered with reasonable clarity. The soft metal captures broad design elements well, though the finest details of Lovett’s die work may appear slightly less sharp than on harder metal restrikes. The aluminum Bashlow restrike demonstrates the spirit of numismatic experimentation that characterized the entire 1961 program. By striking Confederate cents in metals ranging from precious silver and gold-toned alloys to industrial metals like aluminum, lead, and zinc, Bashlow created a collector’s series that explored how a single historic design appears across a wide spectrum of metallic compositions.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Aluminum restrikes were produced in limited quantities. The unusual composition makes them popular with collectors seeking the complete range of Bashlow metal varieties.