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1879 $1 Metric Dollar, Judd-1624, Pollock-1820, High R.7, PR63 Cameo NGC....
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Sold on Aug 28, 2025 for:
$18,000.00
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Description
1879 Judd-1624 Metric Dollar, PR63 Cameo
Only Three or Four Known
1879 $1 Metric Dollar, Judd-1624, Pollock-1820, High R.7, PR63
Cameo NGC. Ex: Lemus Collection. The head of Liberty faces left
in this design by George T. Morgan, with her hair done up in a bun
and with a ribbon with incused LIBERTY. E PLURIBUS UNUM is above,
with stars seven left and six right, date below. The reverse
portrays a wreath of cotton and wheat, with inner circle of dots
enclosing 895.8 S. / 4.2--G. / 100--C. / 25 GRAMS. DEO EST GLORIA
("God is glory/To God be the glory") appears (despite the Judd
misdescription as E PLURIBUS UNUM) in the cartouche, with UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA and ONE DOLLAR at the rim. Struck in aluminum
with a reeded edge.At the time this pattern was struck, aluminum was considered more precious than gold. Although it is the most abundant metal found in the earth's crust, because of its extreme reactivity, elemental aluminum is rare, usually found instead in more than 270 different compounds. The Emperor Napoleon is said to have given a banquet at which only the most honored guests were given aluminum utensils; the others had to settle for gold. It was only in 1808 that Humphry Davy discovered the base metal we today call aluminum, and bars of aluminum were exhibited alongside the French crown jewels at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1855. It was 1884 before the Hall-Héroult process for isolating aluminum from its ores made the element much more available than previously.
This pattern struck in aluminum is quite rare, estimated at High R.7 in the Judd reference, with only four examples known. This design is struck in silver, copper, aluminum, and white metal, but only the single known white metal specimen, believed unique, exceeds the aluminum specimens in rarity.
The Philadelphia Mint, as this piece eloquently attests, had little experience at making aluminum planchets. Numerous planchet flaws, including some trapped air bubbles, laminations, and rim irregularities plague the present specimen, mostly on the obverse above Liberty's head. The reverse shows fewer distractions, although a small area of dark toning appears near the rim about 3:30. These planchet problems are minor in the overall scheme of things, however, in view of the elusiveness of this issue. There is sufficient field-contrast to merit the Cameo designation from NGC, and both sides nonetheless offer considerable eye appeal. The planchet problems merely add some piquancy, mute testimony to the Mint's fiddling with new metal technologies and design/coin concepts simultaneously.
Only three or four examples are believed to exist, according to Saul Teichman's photo record at the Newman Numismatic Portal, from which the following census derives:
1. PR64 PCGS. Dr. Edward Maris Collection of American Coins (H.P. Smith, 6/1886), lot 222; John Work Garrett; Johns Hopkins University (Bowers and Ruddy, 3/1980), lot 1060; University Park Sale (Steve Ivy, 3/1981), lot 1518; Central States Signature (Heritage, 5/2003), lot 7143; Bob R. Simpson Collection (Heritage, 11/2020), lot 3265; Central States Signature (Heritage, 4/2021), lot 4903.
2. Choice Brilliant Proof. King Farouk; Crouch (Superior, 6/1977), lot 546; Brazos Sale (Steve Ivy, 10/1977), lot 1043; Metropolitan Washington (Kagin's, 7/1979), lot 944.
3. PR63 Cameo NGC. King Farouk; Palace Collections of Egypt (Sotheby's, 2/1954), lot 2000; Newport Collection (Bowers and Ruddy, 1/1975), lot 1125; Auction '84 (Superior, 7/1984), lot 499; The Queller Family Collection, Part Two (Heritage, 1/2009), lot 1925; US Coins Signature (Heritage, 10/2011), lot 4584. The present specimen.
4. Uncertified. Untraced specimen, perhaps duplicated above.
From The Costa Family Collection, Part I.
Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 2AHC, PCGS# 62002, Greysheet# 14898)
View all of [The Costa Family Collection, Part I ]
Auction Info
2025 August 26 - 31 ANA US Coins Signature® Auction #1385 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
August, 2025
26th-31st
Tuesday-Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 14
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 306
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