The Judd and Taxay Plate Coin 1814 Pattern Capped Bust Half Dollar. Judd-44, Pollock-48. Rarity-8. Regular die trials striking of the 1814 Capped Bust Half Dollar using the obverse and reverse dies of the Overton-107 variety. Struck in Platinum with a lettered edge. This is an extremely important pattern, and for several reasons. First, it is the only 19th century United States pattern type known to have been struck in platinum. Second, it enjoys widespread desirability due to the popularity of the regular-issue Capped Bust Half Dollar series. And finally, it is one of very few original United States patterns that have survived from the early years of the 19th century. We know that Judd-44 was actually struck in 1814 because the type was well known to Mint Director Colonel James Ross Snowden (term of office: June 1853-May 1861) and listed in his work A Description of Ancient and Modern Coins in the Cabinet of the United States. Snowden’s description of the piece reads as follows: 1815 [sic]. A platina piece struck from the dies for the legal half dollar of that year. It was an experiment, platina being then a new metal… Further proof of this coin having been struck in 1814 is the use of both the obverse and reverse dies of the 1814 Overton-107 variety. Had the piece been struck in a later year, it is highly likely that dies from two different years would have been used from whatever stocks were still on hand at that time. We are aware of the existence of only three examples of the Judd-44 pattern Half Dollar, one of which is impounded in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Numismatic Collection and, thus, is not obtainable for private ownership. Additionally, the third specimen is currently untraced. POST YOUR FAVORITE PATTERN PIECES!!!
I need a Judd 1690 to complete my V-nickel set. If I owned one, I'd post it for you. Very best regards, collect89
Mine is one I own, well do until I sell it early next year or so: The devasting social and economic crises initiated by the Civil War were consequential long after the conclusion of hostilities in 1865. One such consequence was inflation and the erosion in the value of the dollar, especially the newly released Federal paper money, ie the Legal Tender notes. But minor coinage disappeared because of hoarding also, necessitating the Treasury to print small pieces of paper money called Fractional Currency which supplanted coins during this time. The US mint looked at viable alternatives to minting lower value, ie 3¢, 5¢ and 10¢ in metals other than silver. The 3¢ piece was minted in a new cupro-nickel composition from 1865, whilst the 5¢ was minted in cupro-nickel from 1866 and was positioned to replace the previous Half Dime which was a silver coin. The next denomination in the scenario was the 10¢ coin. This denomination was prepared in copper, and cupro-nickel patterns beginning in 1868, using James Longacre's Large Cent hubs from the 1857 issue of Large Cents. Some curious pieces were prepared with the 1868 date, but everything else common to the Large Cent, including the denomination. Approximately two dozen each were prepared with "Ten Cents" on the reverse, in copper, and cupro-nickel. This particular piece is a toned cupro-nickel that is PF-62 as graded by PCGS. I have been fascinated with these unusual patterns, the size of them, the metal composition, the denomination, but most importantly the connection with the previously issued Large Cents of 1855-1857 since I was a kid and read about them in a coin magazine.
One of my favorite patterns too. In my paper on Symbolism on US Pattern Coins I noted that the counterstamped P's are all retrograde, indicating to me that they were intended to be used for dies.
This one is easy for me. Without a doubt the Coiled Hair Stella Judd-1660, Pollock-1860. The coin imaged above is presently in Heritage's upcoming signature sale and will probably sell for over $300,000. http://coins.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=1121&LotIdNo=14081
