1880 $1 J-1652, RB PR(PCGS#72037)

Summer 2025 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

6658

Grade

PR65RB

Price

6,900

Lot Description

<strong>Obv:</strong> A head of Liberty faces left, the Latin motto E PLURIBUS UNUM above and the date 1880 below. Thirteen stars are also arranged around the border seven left, six right. Liberty is wearing a soft cap inscribed LIBERTY in incuse letters and ornamented with wheat ears, cotton leaves and bolls. <strong>Rev:</strong> A circle of 38 stars encloses the inscription 15.3 - G. / 236.7 - S. / 28 - C. / 14 GRAMS. Outside the stars are the denomination GOLOID METRIC DOLLAR above and the Latin motto DEO EST GLORIA below. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is inscribed along the upper border and another expression of the denomination 100 CENTS is at the lower border. This is a lovely Gem with modestly reflective rose-olive surfaces that also deliver razor sharp strike detail.<p>From 1878 to 1880 the Mint was obsessed with the idea of metric coinage, and many different patterns were produced. Judd-1652, offered here, was struck in copper as a numismatic delicacy, the "normal" alloy for the type being goloid, a mix of gold and silver. The thought was logical enough - by mixing a little bit of gold with a larger amount of silver, a coin of given intrinsic or metal value would be produced in lighter weight and smaller diameter than if struck in silver alone. However, the fatal flaw was that it took a metallurgist to distinguished silver from goloid, so anyone seeking to counterfeit such pieces could simply omit the gold. For this and other reasons the idea of goloid metric coinage was abandoned, leaving a trail of interesting patterns that are eagerly sought by specialists.