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1854 Pattern Cent Judd-161 NGC graded Proof-64 Brown

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:600.00 USD Estimated At:NA
1854 Pattern Cent Judd-161 NGC graded Proof-64 Brown
1854 Pattern Cent Judd-161. NGC graded Proof 64 Brown. Glossy medium chocolate and darker bluish steel with mint red remaining on 5-10% of both sides. No spots or contact marks other than faint hairlines in the slightly reflective fields. Sharply struck on the obverse but there is some minor weakness on the wreath, as usual. The fields on the reverse are covered with fine die polishing lines extending from NW to SE. The diameter is 25mm versus the 28mm diameter for regular issue 1854 Large Cents. While the weight of this piece is not stated on the holder, the standard for these patterns was set at 96 grains versus the 168-grain standard for normal large cents at that time. These smaller pattern cents were proposed in an attempt to help combat the rise in the price of copper, which had risen so much by this time that a 168-grain large cent contained more than a cent’s-worth of copper. Sounds similar to the problem we have with our cents today. The Judd-161 attribution is noted on the NGC holder, which means the planchet is bronze. However, the planchet may be copper, in which case the attribution would be Judd-160. Can't really be sure, but the rarity is R-4 either way. Our grade is Proof-63.
Estimated Value $1,250-UP.