Pattern coin

This piece, an example of which was illustrated and sold in the Dodsley Cuff sale of the mid-19th century, had crowns in place of the usual three pellets in each quarter of the reverse.

[citation needed] Boulton's mint in Soho produced large quantities of patterns, which were supplemented by Taylor some fifty or so years later from the same dies.

[citation needed] After the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, discussion arose over what sort of currency should be adopted in the United States.

At the time, people in North America relied upon a mixture of foreign coins, none of which were struck to a consistent standard, making day-to-day financial transactions difficult.

In 1783, Congress resolved to create a mint, tasking Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris with developing a plan for a system of coinage.

One famous example is the 1856 Flying Eagle cent, although that coin has been commonly and incorrectly believed to be regular issue due to its high mintage for collectors.

[citation needed] Fantasy pieces include many struck in the 1860s and 1870s as patterns and sold to numismatists for the sole purpose of raising cash for the mint.