(1977-78) Dollar Pattern - RB-1350, GOULD

Coin Details

Description

Reed-Brenner 1350 is a Gould Inc. dollar-sized experimental pattern in the RB-1335-1370 alloy cluster. The composition represented by RB-1350 was one of four closely related formulations (with RB-1335, RB-1355, and RB-1360) that Gould developed as variations on a single metallurgical theme. The small numeric increments between these entries indicate that each alloy adjusts one or more constituent metals by a small percentage, allowing the evaluation team to identify precisely where each performance characteristic peaks or degrades. This approach is analogous to metallurgical optimization in other industrial applications: automotive alloys, aerospace metals, and electrical conductors are all refined through exactly this kind of systematic composition mapping. The Gould program applied these industrial metallurgical methods to a uniquely numismatic problem — finding an alloy that simultaneously satisfies the aesthetic, durability, and machine-readability requirements of circulating coinage.

Rarity Notes

R-7. Very rare. NGC census records an image for this piece, confirming at least one professionally certified example.

Cross References

Reed-Brenner RB-1350; Gould Inc. experimental program; cf. RB-1335/RB-1355/RB-1360 (closely related alloy variants)