1869 $20 Twenty Dollar, Judd-785, Pollock-870, High R.7, PR67 Deep Cameo PCGS. CAC....

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1869 Double Eagle in Aluminum
Judd-785, PR67 Deep Cameo
The Finest Known

1869 $20 Twenty Dollar, Judd-785, Pollock-870, High R.7, PR67 Deep Cameo PCGS. CAC. Ex: Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection. Regular die trials issue struck in aluminum with a reeded edge. While traditionally termed a die trials striking, because of the difficulty in producing aluminum in 1869 it is safe to say there was no actual thought given to producing double eagles in 1869 struck in aluminum, making these pieces deliberately struck by the Mint for collectors. Nevertheless, these strikes are extremely rare. Off-metal pieces were also struck in copper (half a dozen estimated extant) and nickel (believed unique). Like the copper strikes, only half a dozen aluminum pieces are believed known. With the infrequency the aluminum strikes are offered, there may be even fewer than six known. This is the only Deep Cameo example certified to date (11/22).

This coin, and its inherent beauty, recall the dilemma faced by 19th manufacturing processes. Aluminum is the most abundant metallic element in the Earth's crust. However, it is rarely found in its elemental state. Prior to the introduction of the Hall-Héroult process in 1886, producing elemental aluminum was a complicated and expensive process. The cost to produce a small amount of aluminum in the early 19th century was very high, higher than for gold or platinum. Emperor Napoleon III was said to have a few sets of aluminum dinner plates and eating utensils for his honored guests. This off-metal striking was made during that period, at a time when aluminum was costly and difficult to extract. Aluminum patterns are all rare and valuable today, simply because so few were ever produced. Aluminum would have made a beautiful metal for coinage as it almost always imparts deeply reflective fields and heavily frosted devices on the proofs struck in this formerly precious metal. Once the Hall-Héroult process was developed its value rapidly diminished and rather than a precious metal it became an inexpensive commodity. As a side note, Charles Martin Hall opened the first large-scale aluminum plant in Pittsburgh, later known as Alcoa.

This is a seemingly flawless example of aluminum-as-coin. The fields are deeply mirrored and establish an almost total black background for the frosted, white devices.
Ex: DiBello Collection (Stack's, 5/1970), lot 506.
From The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Core Collection, Part II.

Coin Index Numbers: (Variety PCGS# 908524, Base PCGS# 61017, Greysheet# 373909)

View Certification Details from PCGS