Wonder what happend to these pattern cents? 0

[RWB]

It was supposed to be the Philadelphia Mint's policy to send sets of pattern pieces to "recognized numismatic associations and museums" on payment of the cost of metal. However, the policy was not consistently followed and few qualified organizations - other than ANS - seem to have made regular requests. Here is a sample letter from the Mint Director to the Numismatic Society of Philadelphia along with a set of the 12 1858 pattern cents. Some of these sets remain in the original recipients' collections, others have "vanished." I wonder where they are today - or if they were broken up and sold separately; or possibly spent for penny candy?

June 13, 1859

Mr. A. B. Taylor

Secretary of The Numismatic Society of Philadelphia

Dear Sir,

            In 1858, when I determined to change the devices on the cent coinage, I caused several dies to be prepared from which specimens were struck. Believing that it would be interesting to your society to possess a full series of the specimen pieces I herewith send you one of each, being twelve in number, and exhibiting the different varieties.

I am with great respect

Your friend and obedient servant

James Ross Snowden, Director of the Mint

[RG104 E-1 Box 55]

 

 

 

Edited April 22, 2021 by RWB
formatting--again

[Lem E]

Were these sets different varieties of the same coin or a mix of say flying eagles and Indian head cents?

[RWB]

1 minute ago, Lem E said:

Were these sets different varieties of the same coin or a mix of say flying eagles and Indian head cents?

The set included one of each pattern cent dated 1858. Rick Snow has copious information on his website.

[StrikeOutXXX]

The Boston Numismatic Society was a frequent requestor of patterns as well.  I saw more in the digitized archives, but only have a few specific letters bookmarked.

 

Jan 1877 letter requesting to know if more patterns are available since the Trade Dollars, cites a Mint Regulation (Rule 3)?

https://archive.org/details/RG104Entry1Box106GeneralCorrespondenceOctober1876toJanuary1877/page/n753/mode/2up

 

Dec 1877 letter requesting a set of of patterns

https://archive.org/details/RG104Entry1Box110GeneralCorrespondenceDecember1877toFebruary1878/page/n73/mode/2up

 

January 1878 letter requesting pattern pieces. Letter references Mint Regulations received Sept 1874 "The Superintendent will furnish without charge on application therefor a pattern piece to any incorporated numismatic society in the United States.  In such case if the pattern is in gold or silver, the value of the metal will be required"   (Could this be Rule #3 referred to in the Jan 1877 letter?)  So... were copper patterns free since it said gold or silver the value will be required?

https://archive.org/details/RG104Entry1Box110GeneralCorrespondenceDecember1877toFebruary1878/page/n411/mode/2up

 

According to this December 27, 2015 eSylum article, the club's cabinet was donated to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n52a12.html

In the late 1880s, membership in the BNS lagged, due in part to the aging of its members. Meetings became less frequent and, in the latter part of the century, the society donated $300 and its impressive cabinet of numismatic items to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and another $300 and its library to the Boston Public Library. Appleton’s death in 1903 left the BNS with but four of its original members.

 

I searched the Boston Museum of Fine Arts collection - below is link just to Numismatics between 1874 and 1900.  Sadly, most don't have pictures, and I found nothing with a provenance of Boston Numismatic Society.  There are a lot of interesting coins in their collection that do have images (although not BNS ones).

https://collections.mfa.org/search/Objects/beginDate%3A1874%3Bclassifications%3ANumismatics%3BendDate%3A1900/*

 

[RWB]

1 hour ago, StrikeOutXXX said:

So... were copper patterns free since it said gold or silver the value will be required?

Yes. Recipients paid postage and registration fees - about 15-cents.

The regulations were commonly interpreted to include private collections which were on public display - or might be on display. This allowed the distribution of patterns to owners of large collections who occasionally put a display in a local library or city hall.

It is not clear when this regulation fell into disuse.

[GoldFinger1969]

On 4/24/2021 at 5:08 PM, RWB said:

Yes. Recipients paid postage and registration fees - about 15-cents.  The regulations were commonly interpreted to include private collections which were on public display - or might be on display. This allowed the distribution of patterns to owners of large collections who occasionally put a display in a local library or city hall.

It is not clear when this regulation fell into disuse.

So this is how insiders like Barber could get multiple UHRs or HRs -- as long as they paid the metallic value of the patterns/coins, it was all OK.

How do we know that the procedures you outlined in your Saints book involving pieces of metal becoming COINS.....were followed with regards to $20 double eagle patterns (if they were presented for payment, wouldn't they be accepted ?) or other experimental strikings of High Reliefs or Saints (maybe even Liberty DEs) ?

Even if the Mint personnel paid for the coins, if they weren't presented to the coiner, would it be illegal to spend them for payment ?

[RWB]

Pattern pieces were not coins, and never were -- except if the exact design were adopted and then produced in the same year as the date on the pattern. Pattern pieces were/are chattel, just like a nail, desk, or wastepaper.

[GoldFinger1969]

9 minutes ago, RWB said:

Pattern pieces were not coins, and never were -- except if the exact design were adopted and then produced in the same year as the date on the pattern. Pattern pieces were/are chattel, just like a nail, desk, or wastepaper.

But if you had a $20 UHR pattern or one of the early versions of the $20 High Relief.....they might not be coins but they could certainly be taken to be the subsequently released 1907 High Reliefs....and spent at a local grocery store, right ?

[RWB]

1 hour ago, GoldFinger1969 said:

But if you had a $20 UHR pattern or one of the early versions of the $20 High Relief.....they might not be coins but they could certainly be taken to be the subsequently released 1907 High Reliefs....and spent at a local grocery store, right ?

If it was accepted, then ownership transferred to the merchant; but it was still not a legal tender coin.

[GoldFinger1969]

1 hour ago, RWB said:

If it was accepted, then ownership transferred to the merchant; but it was still not a legal tender coin.

OK, then how would you know a legal tender 12,367 1907 High Reliefs from the early test strikes that were experimental, even if they used the same or similar obverse and reverse dies ?

If they got out of the mint, you wouldn't know they weren't legal, right ?

Edited April 26, 2021 by GoldFinger1969

[RWB]

The public has an implied right to presume that anything resembling a coin, including the name of the country, and a legal denomination is a legal tender coin. Hence, pattern pieces are not coins, and neither are counterfeits. The Mint was consistent about using bullion value for pattern coins, or some other sales price based on metal and cost of production. In part this is why copper or bronze pattern examples of patterns did not require payment - the metal had no practical value.

[mania]

On 4/21/2021 at 8:00 PM, RWB said:

The set included one of each pattern cent dated 1858. Rick Snow has copious information on his website.

USpattern.com list the 12 piece set -- "...These 12 pieces comprise 11 patterns and the regular issue Flying Eagle Cent in Proof..."

https://uspatterns.stores.yahoo.net/18onecen12pi.html

 

[RWB]

On 4/26/2021 at 6:25 PM, GoldFinger1969 said:

OK, then how would you know a legal tender 12,367 1907 High Reliefs from the early test strikes that were experimental, even if they used the same or similar obverse and reverse dies ?

If they got out of the mint, you wouldn't know they weren't legal, right ?

You would not know because they were indistinguishable, and all from a legitimate source. The same kind of thing happened routinely with new issues. Examples include Peace dollars, 1922 approx 100,000 trial pieces approved and mixed with production - coins are identical; 1916 "Mercury" dimes - similar; 1938 Jefferson nickels - also similar, there are other examples.