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Sale 44
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Lot 2270
1856 Pattern Cent. Copper, plain edge. . Low Rarity 7. PCGS graded Proof 64 Red & Brown. Lovely shades of red, blue, and brown. Very rare and seldom offered. Judd-179 is an extremely important pattern for the collector of this series, one that rarely makes an appearance. Auction records are scant; retail sales equally rare. A frosted, satiny to reflective near-gem with strong luster and a bold strike throughout much of the reverse details. There is no sign of weakness anywhere. What's more the color scheme catches the eye from afar. The blend of coppery red with deep purple and blue shades of iridescence really enhances the beauty. The eagle soars through a sky backlit with vibrant bronze radiance! Often, collectors recoil of the impossibility of finding any of this year's rare pattern coinage; but in a few instances like the present one, the opposite is the case and a person is drawn to it like a magnet. The coin has very convincing credentials! Pop 3; 1 finer in 65. (PCGS # 11784) .
Historic note: The Judd reference states that "During this year Congress was considering the bill which became the Act of February 21, 1857. This authorized cents weighing 72 grains to be struck from an alloy of 88% copper and 12% nickel. These were intended for the redemption of the large cents and the fractional parts of the Spanish and Mexican dollars, which had been passing freely throughout the country for a long time.
"During this period the Melter and Refiner, Booth, had continued the experiments, trying to find a better alloy for the cent, under instructions from the Director of the Mint, J. R. Snowden. On July 11, 1856, Mr. Snowden reported to the Secretary of the Treasury, James Guthrie, that recent experiments had shown an alloy of 88% copper and 12% nickel to be far superior to bronze."
The Judd-179 dateless piece offered in this lot, however, is struck on a bronze (not copper-nickel) planchet. Flying Eagle cent specialist Rick Snow is of the opinion that Judd-179 was actually made in 1858, as part of some Pattern sets of cents sold to collectors that year. The reverse die was used on several regular 1856 flying eagle cent die varieties, it should be noted, and is recognized by a die line on the left ribbon end.
Estimated Value $10,000 - 12,000.
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| Realized $57,500 |
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