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20 Cents '1/5 Dollar' Pattern, silver
| Issuer | United States Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1875 |
| Type | Coin pattern |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Allegorical figure of Liberty, standing at the seashore, holds an olive branch in her right hand and rests her left hand upon a globe inscribed 'LIBERTY.' The background features two draped flags, a wheat sheaf, and a steam ship in the distance, conveying themes of commerce and national prosperity. The date 1875 appears in the lower field, with the legend 'LIBERTY' incorporated on the globe. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | LIBERTY 1875 |
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| Additional information |
The 1875 twenty-cent piece was one of the most quickly abandoned denominations in American coinage history, killed off just two years after its introduction largely because it was nearly indistinguishable from a quarter in pocket change. This silver pattern, catalogued as Judd-1396, predates that debacle and belongs to the experimental phase when the Mint was still exploring how to label the denomination — hence the "1/5 Dollar" inscription rather than "Twenty Cents."
Nevada silver interests lobbied hard for the coin's creation, and Mint Director Henry Linderman pushed it through Congress in 1875.