c.1964 Quarter Pattern - P-5389, DuPont

Coin Details

Description

An experimental quarter pattern produced by the DuPont company as part of its competing bid against International Nickel Company (INCO) for the clad coinage contract. In 1964, as the Johnson administration sought a replacement for silver coinage, multiple companies submitted proprietary alloy proposals for evaluation by the Treasury Department and the Bureau of the Mint. DuPont, primarily known as a chemical company, proposed compositions that leveraged its expertise in advanced materials science. P-5389 represents one of DuPont's experimental formulations, struck on a quarter-sized planchet to demonstrate the alloy's suitability for coin production. The "c.1964" dating reflects uncertainty about the precise striking date, as these experimental pieces were produced over an extended testing period. DuPont's bid was ultimately unsuccessful — INCO's copper-nickel clad composition was selected for the Coinage Act of 1965 — but these experimental patterns document a pivotal moment when the future of American coinage hung in the balance between competing technologies.

Rarity Notes

R-8+ (Extremely Rare to Unique). DuPont experimental quarter patterns are among the rarest modern U.S. pattern coins, with very few specimens known outside institutional collections.

Cross References

Pollock P-5389. Part of the DuPont experimental clad coinage series (P-5389, P-5391, P-5393).