1987 Half Eagle Pattern - P-5460, Silver

Coin Details

Auction Record

$408 MS65 12-15-2021 Heritage Auctions

Description

A silver-composition half eagle pattern from 1987, struck in silver rather than the standard gold used for the American Eagle half eagle ($5) denomination. This experimental piece tested the American Eagle half eagle design in silver, evaluating how Miley Busiek's (later known as Miley Tucker-Frost) obverse Liberty design and the heraldic eagle reverse would appear on a white-metal planchet rather than the yellow gold for which they were created. The visual difference is dramatic — the same design that appears warm and monumental in gold takes on a cooler, more austere character in silver. The piece also tests the practical question of whether the half eagle dies, designed for gold's malleability, would produce acceptable results when used with the harder silver alloy. Silver and gold have significantly different metallurgical properties, including different flow characteristics under pressure, making the translation between metals a non-trivial engineering exercise. This silver half eagle pattern documents an intriguing cross-pollination between the gold and silver American Eagle programs.

Rarity Notes

R-8 (Extremely Rare). Silver-composition half eagle patterns are very scarce, as they were produced solely for experimental purposes.

Cross References

Pollock P-5460 (Silver variant). Part of the 1987 experimental half eagle series.