Lot 818
1871 Pattern Half Eagle. Aluminum, reeded edge. PCGS graded Proof 64. A faint hairline in the lower left obverse field, plus natural aluminum toning in the hair and coronet area of Liberty. This is an extremely well-struck example with excellent details. It has no bothersome abrasions or points of wear; moreover, the dies left their rigid impression behind with razor-sharpness and precision only seen on the best made pattern Proofs.
Nearly every year until the early 1880s the Mint produced "regular dies trial pieces" as numismatists refer to them. Whether made to test the dies -- or simply for sale to collectors as profitable novelties -- they are usually in softer metal than the production coin (which seems to point to the former); however, some trial pieces were struck in much harder alloys, and may have been pure pieces d' caprice. Pop 1. (PCGS # 61434) .
Estimated Value $20,000 - 24,000.
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