Pattern 1855 US Cent

Very good of you to post here! Yes, these were produced in various alloys I believe. To give you an idea of value, the most recent 1855 pattern in PR64BN in PCGS holder sold on Heritage for $2,070US. Rick Snow has one available on his website, google Eagle Eye Rare Coins. Most likely, the asking price for your coin is too high, $3,200US.

I noticed that some of these are graded MS, so there must be business strikes as well. I would be VERY CAREFUL. A coin such as this belongs in a slab, without a doubt. It needs to be determined whether it is proof or not, graded and authenticated.

Thanks for your replies.

Slabs aren't common in Britain.
I quite agree from the point of authentication it could be useful to get it slabbed. However. it's not in a slab at the moment.

How long does slabbing take ?

Unfortunately, I have seen fake coins (a sestertius of Caligula and a George III copper 2d) in slabs, and overgraded coins I'm slabs, so I am a bit suspicious of slabs.

Are there any pictures of forgeries of the Pattern 1855 US Cent on the Internet to which you could point me, please ?

Thanks Rayman311, nice heads up! If you send the coin to PCGS or NGC, you can be assured they will not be slabbing counterfeit patterns. I think it takes around 3-4 weeks to get my coins back from NGC, but I believe you can pay a few bucks more and get it right away.

I recommend making an account at Heritage, ha.com, and looking through the 1855 pattern cents that have sold. This can help you become familiar with authentic strikes and price. They also often discuss die markers, and their photos are often good enough to see them.

On second thought, you can send it to Rick Snow. He will grade it and let you know whether it is authentic for just $4.