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1 Cent '1896' Pattern, aluminium
| Issuer | United States Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1896 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
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| Obverse description | At center, the United States shield displays the word LIBERTY inscribed across a scroll. Behind the shield, two crossed poles rise from the base, one surmounted by a Phrygian liberty cap and the other by a spread eagle. The national motto E PLURIBUS UNUM appears in the upper field, flanked by thirteen stars arranged seven to the left and six to the right. The date 1896 is positioned in the lower exergue beneath the shield. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | E · PLURIBUS · UNUM LIBERTY 1896 |
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| Additional information |
J-1769 is one of several experimental aluminum cent patterns produced in the 1890s as Congress and the Mint debated replacing the copper small cent with a lighter, cheaper alloy. Aluminum was briefly fashionable as a coinage metal during this period — France, for instance, had already explored it seriously. The lobbying effort by aluminum producers, particularly the Pittsburgh Reduction Company, was aggressive enough that Congress eventually barred mint officials from distributing pattern coins to industry representatives, a rule formalized after the scandal surrounding the 1896 experiments.