1877 25C Sailor Head Quarter Dollar, Judd-1499, Pollock-1652, Unique, PR63 PCGS....

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1877 'Sailor Head' Quarter in Silver
Judd-1499, PR63
Unique in Silver, Pedigreed to William Woodin

1877 25C Sailor Head Quarter Dollar, Judd-1499, Pollock-1652, Unique, PR63 PCGS. The obverse portrait, designed by William Barber, is similar to the Sailor Head design made famous two years earlier (lacking the collar). That widely recognized design was placed on pattern twenty cent pieces, half eagles, and eagles in 1875. It was resurrected the following year on dollar patterns, then tried out in 1877 on dime, half dollar, and dollar patterns. The reverse uses the regular issue dies. The use of the obverse design over a period of three years may indicate the intent of the Mint to use this design on regular production coinage. The fact that this piece paired the Sailor Head obverse with a regular production reverse indicates Mint personnel wanted to see not only what the obverse / reverse pairing would look like, but it would also indicate problems inherent with die opposition: Would the relief on either side cause the other side to not strike up fully? If that was indeed a question that needed an answer, the answer was a resounding "no." Each side of this piece is fully detailed, indicating William Barber's obverse design was perfectly suitable for commercial production.

At least eight examples are known of this obverse / reverse pairing in copper. So, for the collector who wants a representative example, that is the metallic composition to pursue. This piece was acquired by the consignor in the late 1970s. At that time it was housed in a first-generation PCGS holder. It was resubmitted to PCGS in 2003, then last year submitted again to make certain it was silver. It was owned at one time by William Woodin and displayed at the 1914 ANS exhibit. The surfaces have obviously been cleaned, giving each side a subdued blue-gray patina with minimal reflectivity in the fields. However, for the advanced pattern collector, the question is obvious: Where will you find another?
Ex: William Woodin Collection; 1914 ANS Catalogue, page 91, listed as A.W. 1541.

Coin Index Numbers: (PCGS# 61834, Greysheet# 14696)

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