Barber Liberty Head Patterns – “You’re joshing me”!

Set Description
5C Liberty Head Patterns of 1881- 1883
(Click on thumbnail to enlarge photo)

My set of Liberty Head patterns of 1881 – 1883 represent 3 distinctive phases of the Mint development and launch of the Liberty Head Nickel in 1883.

First …the year1881 – Artistically Standard Design for small denominations was the theme.

Charles Barber prepared the 1st Liberty head designs in 1881 to address a request for a uniform design of the small denomination coins – i.e. One, Three , & Five Cent pieces. Mint Director Snowden promoted this concept and referred to the Mint’s previous attempt in 1868. The obverse and reverse design were standard with the obverse displaying the Bust Of Liberty with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the perimeter and the date below. The reverse shared the same open wreath of cotton and corn with a roman numeral format - I, III, or V in the center for the denomination. I collect pieces to recreat these sets in both Nickel and Copper.



Second - 1882 patterns - develop the Liberty Head motif.

While the uniform design approach of 1881 was dropped, just as the previous attempt in 1868, the desire for a new Nickel continued and the Liberty Head motif appeared very pleasing. Several more Liberty head patterns were prepared in 1882 with the same basic Baber obverse bust of Liberty and the reverse with the open wreath with a “V “for the denomination – but none had the word “CENTS”. When Snowden finally selected a design and sent pieces to the treasury for approval - the proposed piece with Liberty and Open Wreath Reverse were very acceptable but they were rejected as it was claimed US coinage is required to bear “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” only on the reverse. In early 1883, Barber developed a new pattern by the marriage of an 1882 Liberty Head with Stars surrounding the bust for the obverse and created the a reverse to feature “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” along with the “E PLURIBUS UNUM” . This was the J-1690 pattern - and this design was quickly approved.


Third – 1883 Patterns - Testing Compositions

Most of these sample patterns were struck in early 1883. These pieces were trial strikings of mixture of % Nickel. The reverse of these patterns claim the metallurgical content tried - “Pure Nickel”, “ 50 N/50 C”, “75 N/25 C”, and “33 N / 67 C”). Even though they have these reverses labeled - samples were struck in Aluminum– go figure!.


CENTS had to be added:


As the mint learned that individuals were modifying the 1883 NO CENTS nickel to pass them off as 5 $ gold pieces, by reeding the edges and gold plating them, a quick responses to add “CENTS” was made. The pattern J-1717 was a more artistic approach to adding the word “CENTS” in a scroll across the V . Q. David Bowers “Guide Book of Shield and Liberty Head Nickels” replays the story (maybe myth) that a person named Josh was arrested for this deception of passing these gold platted 5C pieces off and thus the saying “your’re joshing me” was coined when one is deceived by a person.


If any information is in error please reach out to me via NGC site. Thanks

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Mania's US Patterns- WHAT U.S. COINAGE COULD HAVE BEEN

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Set Goals
Assemble a type set of Liberty Head Patterns to capture the ideas of Barber .. as time permit collect more off metal pieces as available.