A little more information about aluminum proof sets - 1868. Cost of aluminum added to last !
RogerB
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Sets of U.S. coinage struck in aluminum were prepared in 1868. These highly unusual and prized pieces are not really patterns, but prestige sets intended to show off the precious metal aluminum. Here's a little more information of the date and quantity of full sets made.
Four sets have traditionally been attributed to the Treasury Department and this is supported by several letters and other documents. However, the five additional sets (with unknown packaging) have not previously been discussed.
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The text reads:
"Order received June 6th 1868 from the Director by A. Thacher, Clerk.
5 Aluminum setts [sic] of the coins of the United States. Delivered on or before July 6, 1868.
(4 setts as above, were previously struck and delivered on an order from the Treasury Dep't. at Washington.)"
Interesting, thanks. Aluminium was pretty uncommon then. I think it was not made on a large scale industrially until the mid 1880's. Love to see those.
I list eight different examples of the aluminum 1868 cent in my book. Two die pairs, 4 of each.
Thanks for posting. I'll look out for the 9th.
There were 200 of the 5-cent 1867 made in aluminum.
Much more expensive than gold at that time. Definitely rare and prized possessions.
"setts?"
Those would be the Longacre pattern, of course, not Shield Nickels. Given the number of coins in existence, that's almost certainly the entire mintage of those.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
And when you find it, we'll know which die pair was probably used first!
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
That was true at one point, but not in 1868. (I know that because the 1867 aluminum pattern nickels would have contained about five cents worth of nickel, which was the reason aluminum was being considered in the first place.) But yes, the metal was still considered exotic and fairly scarce. Just not valuable-as-gold exotic and scarce.
On a side note, when I searched for corroboration to the above, I found an interesting quote that may help explain why the unique 1855 Seated Half Dollar in aluminum was struck. The coin has always been a bit of a mystery, given that it is the only aluminum pattern struck before 1867.
"in 1854, Henri Sainte-Claire Deville developed a way of producing the metal on a much larger scale with the use of sodium, allowing, for the first time in history, kilograms of the metal to be produced at a time. For comparisons sake, it had taken Wöhler years to produce the same amount of aluminium Deville could produce in a single day.
A year later, in 1855, 12 small ingots of aluminium were displayed at the “Exposition Universelle” a huge French exhibition organised at the bequest of French emperor Napoleon III. Almost immediately after the exhibition, demand for this magical metal sky-rocketed. "
It's not hard to imagine that the coin was either struck for exhibition there, or was struck as a direct result of someone's visit there.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
Interesting discussion, thanks for sharing !!!
Very interesting.... How many (of each denomination) are accounted for? Probably some were simply discarded over the years... Cheers, RickO
The 1868 aluminum coin sets are also discussed in an article that appeared
in the Gobrecht Journal No. 126 (summer 2016), pages 28–29.
The coin has always been a bit of a mystery, given that it is the only aluminum pattern struck before 1867.
How about the 1864-L IHC in Al? Pattern?
Hard to believe that today aluminum is the most abundant metal known on planet earth.
I did an internet search of "1868 aluminum proof set" ... are these the coins?
Yep. That's one of the four Treasury sets.
Definitely not my series(s) in either original or aluminum format, but these seem to get flipped at auction with some frequency and that if one really wanted one that it comes available perhaps more frequently than one would expect. Maybe they are less impressive in hand over time and tendency to sell them back into the market??
Well, just Love coins, period.
I believe it was struck after 1867. Same is likely for all other 1863-65 dated aluminum patterns, with the exception of the 1863 postage currency dimes. (I forgot that one!) The 1855 half is still an outlier.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
Very interesting, thanks for that. Peace Roy
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They’re certainly less impressive when removed from their case and slabbed, as has been the case with every set that has come to market since the TPGs came along.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
Before 1884, Aluminum was in the $500/lb range. Not as expensive as gold, but much more than silver. There was no way that the use of this metal for coinage would have been considered in 1868, or 1878, or even 1888. Maybe in the 20th century, but not before.
Mint officers recognized that aluminum was abundant but very difficult to extract as pure metal. They also understood advances in practical metallurgy and over time it would become easier to purify and available at a lower price. Their real goal was not aluminum coins but use of aluminum in combination with silver, copper and other metals to make wear-resistant alloys for minor coins. Meaningful alloy experiments continued into the 1890s but nothing using aluminum was any better than the metals then in use. (Mint officers and technicians liked binary alloys because most were easy to reprocess within the mint.)
according to Wikipedia, aluminum dropped to $40 a pound by 1859. Must have been even cheaper by 1867.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_aluminium
By my rough calculations, aluminum would have to have been worth $17 per Troy pound for the 1867 nickels to contain five cents worth of aluminum.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
1867 price in Europe - $15USD
1872 price in USA - $9.00
Well, just Love coins, period.
That is sacrilege!!
A notation in the Chief Coiner's journal states that the mint bought 50 ounces of aluminum at a cost of $100, or $2 per ounce, from Victor Bishop. This would have been sufficient to make all 9 sets with a lot left over. Cases cost $36.
I believe that's the reason the Washington Monument is tipped in Aluminum...
Please note that Roger's quote indicates they paid above market value if you look at my earlier reference to prices.
Well, just Love coins, period.
Interesting article on aluminum. https://www.malle2luxe.com/trunk-louis-vuitton-en-aluminum-explorer-or-white-to-napoleon/
Are the coins pure aluminum, or did the Mint perhaps request a specific alloy as they sometimes used on later legitimate patterns?
Would love to know the specific alloy of the 1974 aluminum cents.
Records indicate that at least 11 sets were made; the total was likely around 15.
John Jay Knox received two sets and his cases were charged at $7 each. The $36
quoted is probably the cost of several cases.
Interesting thread! I saw one of those Double Eagle patterns in Aluminum at the FUN show in 2009. It was very cool to see that. (it was slabbed)
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