Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1 Cent '1850' Pattern
| Issuer | United States Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1850 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dollar (1785-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | U S A ONE TENTH SILVER |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
In the late 1840s, the Mint was under serious pressure to replace the large cent — cumbersome, unpopular, and expensive to produce at its copper weight. Several pattern experiments were struck in 1850 testing smaller planchet sizes and alternative alloy compositions, billon among them, as the institution worked toward what would eventually become the Flying Eagle cent of 1856–1858. The multiple Judd and KM references here reflect distinct die marriages and compositional variants struck concurrently rather than a single unified type.
The billon alloy itself was quietly dropped from further consideration — American public sentiment ran strongly against debased silver coinage for everyday transactions.