J-775 1869 Half Eagle Pattern - 1869 $5 Pattern, NGC PF63 BN. R-7+. Since the regular issue 1869 half eagle had one of the lowest mintages of the series, there is considerable interest in the J-775 pattern coin. In its population report, NGC shows 1, the present coin, certified at the PF63BN level with 1 better.

This extremely rare, copper 1869 half eagle pattern, J-775, is lustrous and well struck. The surfaces are pristine, with no visible hairlines, contact marks, or other problems. Some original mint red is visible on both sides of the piece. Overall it is bluish-brown with red-orange highlights. The colors confirm the coins originality. The strike is far above average with full details on the centers of the stars and Libertys hair. It is a lovely, elegant piece that belongs in a fine collection of patterns or gold half eagles.

The J-775 is a copper pattern struck from the regular half eagle dies of 1869. It was also struck in aluminum and nickel. Christian Gobrecht designed the Liberty Head or Coronet half eagle. The coin shows Liberty facing left in profile wearing a LIBERTY inscribed coronet with her hair tied in the back with beads. Two long curls hang down her neck, one in the back and the other on the side. She is surrounded with thirteen six-pointed stars. The date is below the truncation, which shows no drapery. The motif is taken from a Benjamin West painting of Venus. It was also used with modifications for the Large Cents of 1839. The reverse shows a heraldic eagle with outstretched wing looking to the left. On its chest is the Union shield. In its talons it holds the olive branch and arrows. Except for the tips of the eagles wings UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds the reverse, separated from the denomination FIVE D. by dots. Dentils are near the edge on both sides of the coin, and the edge is reeded. Type 2 was created when the motto IN GOD WE TRUST was added to a banner designed by James B. Longacre above the eagle in 1866. The change was made in response to pressure organized by the Reverend M.R. Watkinson.

Gobrecht became 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. In 1826 Gobrecht did his first work for the Mint as an assistant to William Kneass. After Kneass suffered a debilitating 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.