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!
5 Cents Copper Half Disme Pattern - 1870
| Issuer | United States Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1870 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | 15.5 mm |
| 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 | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | STANDARD 5 CENTS |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The 1870 pattern half disme experiments belong to a period when the Mint was actively reconsidering the five-cent denomination's future. The Shield nickel, then only three years into production, was already generating complaints about die wear and striking difficulty. These copper pieces — cataloged under Judd 811 and 812 as separate die marriages — were part of a broader pattern program that year, not a targeted redesign effort, which explains why they went nowhere administratively.
Survival numbers for both Judd numbers are extremely small, with most examples traceable to the original 1870 pattern sets sold directly from the Mint — a practice halted by Congress in 1873.