Lot 2034
1868 Pattern Eagle. Aluminum, reeded edge. Judd-663. Pollock-736. NGC graded Proof 65 Cameo. A lovely Pattern with brilliant surfaces and free from the spotting that plagues so many of the patterns struck in aluminum. On the obverse, a bust of Liberty faces left, wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY in small raised letters. Around, 13 stars, and below, the date. The reverse depicts an eagle with wings spread, clutching three arrows and an olive branch. A ribbon carries the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. Around, the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and below, the denomination TEN D. This design for a $10 gold piece was struck in gold, copper and aluminum. Pop 3; 1 in 67 cameo.
Aluminum was the new "wonder metal" of the mid-1800s when this piece was made. Light and easy to work, it had splendid properties and possibilities. There was only one drawback: 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 only limited numbers of aluminum Patterns and die trial pieces each year, often Rarity-6 or, as in the case of this 1868 J-663 Pattern $10, Rarity-7. (In 1889, man's technology finally caught up with his need for large supplies 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.
Estimated Value $8,000 - 9,000.
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| Realized $9,200 |
