1873 Pattern Trade Dollar. Judd-1281, Pollock-1423. Rarity-4. Silver. Reeded Edge. Proof-65 Deep Cameo (PCGS).

Finest Known Judd-1281 Pattern Trade Dollar in Deep Cameo.

Obv: A bust of Liberty faces left with 13 stars around the border and the date 1873 below. Liberty is wearing a wreath of leaves, her hair coiled and braided at the back of her head. Rev: An eagle with spread wings supports a shield with its left talon and clutches a group of three arrows in its right talon. A scroll crossing the shield carries the motto IN GOD WE TRUST, while the Latin motto E PLURIBUS UNUM is inscribed in the field above the eagle. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is inscribed along the upper border, the inscription 420 GRAINS, 900 FINE is in the field below the eagle, and the denomination TRADE DOLLAR is inscribed along the lower border.

Sharply defined with intensely frosted devices that contrast against deep, watery fields. The aesthetic is absolutely beautiful and fully brilliant, even under a strong light. This pattern trade dollar is among the more available dollar-sized patterns, listed as being Rarity-4, but only this single example has been graded by PCGS with either a Cameo or Deep Cameo designation. The obverse was designed by J.A. Bailly and is mated to one of Barber’s Standing Eagle reverse dies, which is essentially the same motif as the eagle on his famous Amazonian patterns. It is very interesting to note that while the Bailly Head trade dollar pattern in silver with a reeded edge is only Rarity-4, the off-metal strikings in copper and aluminum are Rarity-7- and Rarity-8 respectively. This obverse die was also combined with another variant of Barber’s Standing Eagle and struck only in copper and aluminum (Judd-1285 and 1286) and both are also rated as Rarity-8. This, then, is the only realistic way for a pattern collector to obtain an example with this portrait of Liberty and this example is the finest of the issue.