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25 Cents '1870 Quarter Dollar' Pattern
| Issuer | United States Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1870 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/4 Dollar = 25 Cents (1/4 USD) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Seated Liberty figure facing left, draped and helmeted, enthroned upon a rock outcropping, holding a pole surmounted by a Phrygian cap in her right hand and resting her left arm upon a shield bearing the American stripes. Thirteen six-pointed stars are arranged in an arc around the upper field, flanking the central device. The date 1870 appears prominently in the lower exergue beneath the seated figure. The coin displays a beaded or dentilated border around the entire periphery, consistent with proof pattern manufacture. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | LIBERTY 1870 |
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| Additional information |
The 1870 quarter patterns emerged from a sustained push within the Mint to reform the subsidiary silver coinage, which had been troubled since the Coinage Act of 1853 reduced silver content below par. Mint Director Henry Linderman was already laying groundwork for what would become the controversial Coinage Act of 1873, and experimental strikes in multiple metals allowed officials to evaluate both design proposals and alloy alternatives simultaneously.
Judd 882–887 represent die pairings across the three compositions, with aluminum specimens surviving in notably higher numbers than their silver counterparts — aluminum blanks were cheap and frequently distributed to congressmen and assay officials as lobbying pieces.