Lot 1046
1864 Pattern Dollar. Aluminum, reeded edge. Judd-398. Pollock-466. High Rarity 7. NGC graded Proof 66. Exquisite and problem-free. A once-in-a-lifetime example of this rare Pattern issue, with abundant luster that shimmers over pristine surfaces. We have mentioned the luster, though we wish we could expand upon it into several paragraphs. In winding up this description, we point to it being a strongly struck coin, with keen-edged detail to all the important high points.
Struck in aluminum. Aluminum was the new "wonder metal" of the mid-1800s when this coin was made. Light and easy to work, it had splendid properties and possibilities. There was only one disadvantage: price. Although the price of aluminum fell to below that of silver by the early 1860s, it was still expensive to produce, hovering around twelve dollars a pound between 1862 and 1886. It retained this status until metallurgists found a way to smelt it in quantity. As a consequence, the US. mint struck very limited numbers of aluminum Patterns and die trial pieces each year, often Rarity-6 or Rarity-7 items. (In 1889, man's technology finally caught up with his need for large quantities of this miracle light metal; prices plummeted and aluminum was soon being used to make tokens, medals, promotional badges, inflation coins by the jillion, and all sorts of other flimsy doodads.) Pop 1; the only one graded (PCGS # 60569) .
Estimated Value $12,000 - 14,000.
|
| |
| Realized $14,950 |
