5 Cents Copper Half Disme Pattern - 1870

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.