1853 German Silver Cent (Judd-149/150) Pattern & Experimental Coins

Intriguing History

In 1853 the Mint was looking for a way to replace the large copper cent, which had become expensive to make and awkward to carry. One idea was a smaller cent struck in "German silver," a silvery alloy of nickel, copper and zinc that contains no actual silver. To test it quickly, the Mint paired an existing 1853 quarter eagle ($2.50 gold) obverse die with a hastily made reverse reading ONE CENT inside an open wreath, which is why this cent pattern carries a gold coin's Liberty head. The German silver idea went no further, but the search continued: in 1856 the Mint struck the copper-nickel Flying Eagle cent, and the small cent replaced the large cent in 1857.

Key Features

• •Pattern cent, Judd-149; Judd-150 is the same design in a darker alloy, on thin and thick planchets
• •Struck in "German silver," reported as about 40% nickel, 40% copper and 20% zinc (no actual silver; reported figures are approximate)
• •Obverse: a regular 1853 $2.50 quarter eagle die (Liberty Head, 13 stars, date)
• •Reverse: ONE CENT inside an open wreath, made in haste
• •Apparently made in fairly large numbers, so it is one of the more obtainable 1853 patterns
• •Source: https://nnp.library.wustl.edu/encyclopedia/8603