J-177 1856 Half Cent Pattern - 1856 1/2c Pattern PCGS PF64. R5. The 1856 cent pattern J-177 is elusive. Only 38 are known in all grades at both PCGS and NGC, and this number does not account for crossovers or resubmissions. At PCGS there are 13 certified at the near-Gem PR64 grade level.

This near-Gem 1856 half-cent proof pattern is the only one for the denomination. It is a lustrous piece with tan and light brown colors. They show the coins originality. The strike is strong with full details on Libertys hair, the centers of the stars, and the leaves of the wreath. The surfaces are clean with no visible hairlines, contact marks, or other problems. The pattern was struck from regular dies, but two different copper-nickel alloys were used. One had 88% copper and the other 90% copper, and it is impossible to tell which alloy was used without elemental analysis.

Christian Gobrecht designed the half-cent. He used the coronet motif for his design. It shows a profile of Liberty facing left. Her hair is tied in the back with beads as two curls flow down her neck. On the coronet the word LIBERTY is inscribed. She is surrounded by thirteen six-pointed stars and the date, which is below the truncation. At the periphery are dentils on both sides of the coin. The reverse shows the denomination, HALF CENT, written on two lines, enclosed in a wreath of laurel, which is tied at the bottom with a ribbon. The wreath is surrounded by the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and the edge is plain.

Pattern coins are proposals that have not been released or approved for circulation of what a new coin will look like in three-dimensional relief, to test for any problems in producing the coins and to try out new metals. Patterns are often made in proof finishes or as piedforts, coins of twice the normal weight and thickness made for presentation purposes by mint officials. The United States Mint has produced over a thousand different pattern coins. They fall into several different categories. For some, both sides are rejected for use in circulation. Others have one or both sides modified before they are used. A third has either the obverse or reverse accepted for use on circulating coinage, and finally, the design is accepted but the metal is a different composition from the one that is used in coinage. Patterns are also fantasy pieces, sometimes called pieces de caprice made at the mint that were never intended to circulate. These actually comprise the largest category in the pattern series. Their purpose is to provide a rarity for sale to the collector market. Another category of pattern coin is the restrike. These are coins struck from pattern dies that are made for collectors at a later date, such as Gobrecht silver dollars dated 1836 and restruck in 1859 and later.

Christian Gobrecht was the third Chief Engraver at the United States Mint. He was born in Hanover, Pennsylvania in 1785. His father was a German immigrant, and his mother traced her ancestry to the early settlers of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Gobrecht married Mary Hewes in 1818. One of his early positions was as an engraver of clocks in Baltimore. Later he went to Philadelphia where he became a banknote engraver. He invented a machine that allowed one to convert a three-dimensional medal into an illustration. This was an excellent job and Gobrecht was understandably reluctant to work for the Mint for less money than he was making at the engraving firm. In order to persuade him to leave, Mint Director Robert Patterson prevailed upon Chief Engraver William Kneass, who had had a stroke, to take less in salary so more money would be available to hire Gobrecht on a permanent basis.

In 1826 Gobrecht did his first work for the Mint as an assistant to Kneass. After Kneass stroke, Gobrecht did all the die and pattern work for the Mint. He became Chief Engraver in 1840 and served until his death in 1844. He was famous for his Liberty Seated motif, which was used for all denominations of silver coinage including the half-dime, dime, quarter dollar, half dollar and silver dollar. He also designed the Liberty Head gold eagle, a motif that was also used on the half-cent, the cent, the gold quarter eagle, and the gold half eagle.