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Sale 78
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Lot 1656
1885 Pattern Dollar. Aluminum, lettered edge. Judd-1749. Pollock-1961 Low Rarity 7. PCGS graded Proof 65. Housed in an Old Green Holder. Sometimes called the Snowden Dollar or Snowden Pattern Dollar, the obverse and reverse of this 1885 issue are identical to that of the regular 1885 Morgan Dollar. The edge is, however, lettered ***** E * / PLURIBUS * / UNUM *****. Struck in aluminum. This is neither a major rarity nor is it in the least bit common, as a Low Rarity-7, the is an tremendously popular with collectors of Pattern coins. Even a few Silver Dollar specialists who have heard about it want one as part of a comprehensive collection. This beautiful Gem has exceptional color with aluminum-white sheen throughout. The surfaces are equally prestigious in quality with the aesthetic appeal, taken as a whole, downright splendid. This is among the finest Snowden dollars in existence. Pop 2; 3 finer in 66
(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 Rarity-7 items. (In 1889, man's technology finally caught up with his need for large quantities of this miracle light metal; prices plunged and aluminum was soon being used to make tokens, medals, promotional badges, inflation coins by the jillion, and all sorts of other doodads.) (PCGS # 62191) .
The experimental dollar, with the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM in raised letters on the edge, was suggested by Col. A. Loudon Snowden, Superintendent of the Mint. This represents the first use of the lettered edge since the experiments by Dr. J. T. Barclay in 1857, although J. R. Eckfeldt and J. B. Longacre had recommended its adoption in 1860.
Estimated Value $8,000 - 9,000.
Ex: The Worrell Auction Sept. 1993 Lot 621.
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| Realized $12,925 |
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