Patterns, die trials and experimental pieces represent pieces produced by the United States Mint to test new coin designs, denominations or composition, which may or may not encompass the adopted design or metallic content.
According to the Coin World Almanac, patterns are "coin-like pieces designed to test proposed coin designs, mottoes or denominations proposed for adoption as a regular issue, struck in the metal to be issued for circulation and which were not adopted, at least in year of pattern issue."
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Images courtesy of HeritageAuctions.com. This undated, circa 1840, brass-coated base metal test piece, Judd 110, represents a master die impression of the Seated Liberty quarter dollar obverse and reverse. The piece lacks obverse stars, but has a circular scribe line to position them.
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Images courtesy of HeritageAuctions.com. A uniface die trial piece struck in white metal bearing a reverse design by Anthony C. Paquet for the gold $20 double eagle, undated, struck circa 1858, is cataloged as Judd A1857-7. Such pieces fall into the broad category of "patterns."
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Images courtesy of HeritageAuctions.com. Uniface die trial, Judd 190, copper with plain edge, of the reverse of the regular issue double eagle for 1857. This unique reverse trial was produced by passing the planchet through an upsetting machine both before and after striking. The upsetting machine – normally used only before striking – forms a raised rim.
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Images courtesy of HeritageAuctions.com. Judd 2054 is an experimental piece struck in 1942 for the cent, in zinc-coated steel and from "nonsense dies." The designs were used on other experimental pieces struck in various metals at the Philadelphia Mint and in various plastics by private firms.
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Images courtesy of HeritageAuctions.com. A 2-cent pattern, Judd 305, features a portrait of George Washington on the obverse with the denomination partially spelled out on the reverse. Struck with a plain edge, the pattern was struck on a planchet weighing 92 grains and composed of an alloy of 95 percent copper, 3 percent tin and 2 percent zinc.
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Images courtesy of HeritageAuctions.com. This experimental piece used the regular obverse production die for the 1853 Coronet gold $2.50 quarter eagle with a pattern reverse depicting a simple wreath and one cent.
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Images courtesy of mikebyers.com. This weakly struck 1898 Morgan dollar die adjustment piece is an example from the coinage press as the striking pressure was being adjusted for full-scale circulation production at the Philadelphia Mint.
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Images courtesy of mikebyers.com. Martha Washington "nonsense dies" were used to strike experimental pieces on a number of planchets, as illustrated, from top, on a copper-plated zinc cent planchet; on a copper-nickel clad quarter dollar planchet; and a manganese-brass clad dollar planchet.
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Sometimes the word "patterns" is used in a generic sense describing experimental pieces and trial pieces.
Patterns
Pattern coins, according to Coinfacts.com, fall into a number of different categories:
? pieces whose designs on both sides were rejected for use on circulating coins
? pieces whose designs on one or both sides were modified slightly before they were used on circulating coins
? pieces whose designs on either the obverse or the reverse were accepted for use on circulating coins
? pieces whose designs on both sides were accepted for use on circulating coins, but possibly struck as patterns in a metal composition that may be different from the one eventually used for circulating coins
Patterns are known to have been produced bearing denominations from half cent through $50.
Experimental pieces
Experimental pieces, according to the Almanac, are "struck from any convenient dies to test a new metal, new alloy or new denomination; those testing a new shape; those testing a standard metal for a new denomination; and those representing changes in planchets for the purposes of combating counterfeiting."
Sometimes the Mint tests compositions with what officials call "nonsense dies."
These dies may bear designs similar in format to designs used for circulating coinage. They are useful in testing such things as metal flow and die wear. Unlike the designs on traditional patterns, however, designs on nonsense dies are not being considered for regular production use.
The Mint has used nonsense dies of various designs for decades.
For example, experimental pieces struck circa 1965, when the alloy for the U.S. dime and quarter dollar was changed from a 90 percent silver alloy to a copper-nickel clad composition and the 90 percent silver half dollar was changed to a silver-copper clad version, were struck with nonsense dies.
These nonsense dies, dated 1759, bear a portrait facing right of Martha Washington, with the Washington home, Mount Vernon, depicted on the reverse.
The Mint has since used these Martha Washington-Mount Vernon dies since 1965 for a number of experimental pieces, including for testing manganese-brass clad planchets for the Sacagawea dollar.
Examples known from the Martha Washington nonsense dies include pieces struck on a copper-nickel 5-cent planchet; copper-nickel clad dime planchet; quarter dollar and half dollar planchets; on the copper-plated zinc cent planchets introduced in 1982; and the manganese-brass clad planchets during testing for the Sacagawea dollar.
Die trials
Die trials represent the testing of dies in various production stages.
In the 18th and 19th centuries when dies were cut by hand, "the engraver would periodically stamp the die into a piece of soft metal to see how the work was progressing (these are generally uniface stampings on oversized or irregularly shaped blanks)," according to Coinfacts.com.
"Die trials also include 'setup' pieces which were used to determine proper die alignments and striking pressures before regular production began," according to Coinfacts.com.
United States Pattern Coins, Experimental and Trial Pieces by J. Hewitt Judd, edited by Q. David Bowers, notes that the die trial, representing an impression from a working die with incuse features, results in a trial piece with feature raised in relief as on a regularly issued coin.
The Judd book, as the work is commonly known, is considered the standard catalog for pattern, experimental and trial pieces; the catalog numbers assigned to pieces listed in the book are called "Judd numbers."
Trial pieces also encompass hub and master die trials.
In order to understand the differences between hub trials and die trials, one must also know the differences between a hub and a die.
A hub is a right-reading, positive punch used to impress wrong-reading dies. A master hub is the earliest hub produced and is used to produce a master die from which working hubs are produced. The working hubs are positive, right-reading impressions taken from the master die, and exhibiting all of the master die's characteristics. Working hubs are used to make working dies, which are used to strike coins. Each negative, wrong-reading working die exhibits all of the details of a finished coin, with the features that are raised on the coin appearing recessed in the die, and details that are incuse on the coin appearing raised on the die.
According to United States Pattern Coins, Experimental and Trial Pieces, a hub trial represents an impression from a coin hub with the design and lettering raised in the hub, resulting in the features being incuse or recessed on the trial.
Some hub trials exhibit only the main design device, usually the portrait or an eagle, while others are produced from hubs that are more completed, including the legends.
Hub and master die trials produced until early in the 20th century, however, often lacked a major design element. Until circa 1907 or 1908, according to the Judd-Bowers book, the hubs and master dies did not include the date. The date was punched into a working die separately using four-digit logotypes, a practice implemented at the Mint beginning in the 1830s.
"Thus, an obverse hub or master die trial with a date reflects two separate impressions on the trial piece: the hub or master die, and separately, the date logotype," according to United States Pattern Coins.
Collectors of patterns, experimental and trial pieces can expect to pay in the hundreds to thousands of dollars to acquire such pieces that provide a fascinating look at American coin design and production.
