1979 (P) Dollar Pattern - J-2175

Coin Details

Auction Record

$2,640 MS66 11-02-2017 Heritage Auctions

Description

A business-strike format dollar pattern from 1979, produced at the Philadelphia Mint during the final pre-production phase of the Susan B. Anthony dollar program. Unlike proof patterns struck for presentation or evaluation, business-strike patterns simulate the conditions of high-speed production, testing how the design and composition perform under the rapid, mechanized striking process used for circulation coinage. J-2175 in business-strike format would have been struck at production speeds and pressures, revealing how well Frank Gasparro's Susan B. Anthony portrait and Eagle-landing-on-Moon reverse would hold up under the conditions of actual coinage manufacture. The SBA dollar was the first circulating U.S. coin to feature a non-mythical woman — Susan B. Anthony, the suffragist leader who fought for women's right to vote — and Gasparro's portrait, based on a well-known photograph, needed to be sufficiently detailed at the small 26.5mm diameter to be recognizable and dignified. This business-strike pattern tests that requirement under real-world production conditions.

Rarity Notes

R-8 (Extremely Rare). Business-strike SBA patterns are very scarce, as they were produced solely for production testing.

Cross References

Judd J-2175