(1977-78) Dollar Pattern - RB-1700, GOULD

Coin Details

Description

Reed-Brenner 1700 is the final entry in the Gould Inc. dollar-sized experimental pattern series, representing the highest-numbered alloy composition submitted by the company for the Mint's small dollar evaluation program. As the terminus of the RB-1xxx series, RB-1700 marks the outer boundary of Gould's compositional research: no further alloy formulations beyond this point were cataloged in the Reed-Brenner reference. The complete Gould dollar program — spanning RB-1000 through RB-1700 — documents a comprehensive metallurgical study that tested alloys across the full range of compositions the company considered viable for circulating coinage. Despite the thoroughness of Gould's research and the quality of its submissions, the Mint ultimately chose a composition for the Susan B. Anthony dollar that drew on its own internal expertise with copper-nickel clad coinage rather than adopting an external firm's proprietary alloy. The Gould test pieces, along with those from INCO and other contractors, thus represent an extensive body of metallurgical research that informed the Mint's decision-making process even though none of the proposed compositions was selected for production.

Rarity Notes

R-7. Very rare. NGC census records an image for this piece. As the final entry in the Gould dollar series, RB-1700 holds particular interest for completists.

Cross References

Reed-Brenner RB-1700; Gould Inc. experimental program; final entry in the Gould dollar series; cf. RB-1000 (first entry), P-5425/P-5445 (Pollock-cataloged Gould compositions)