1792 Washington Getz Pattern Ornamented Edge Cent

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged as Baker 29, Musante GW-31, Whitman 10740, and PCGS #959, this 1792 Washington Getz Pattern cent with ornamented edge features a decorative motif impressed into the coin's edge — a third dimension of artistry beyond the obverse portrait and reverse design that required a separate ornamental collar during the striking process. Struck in copper, weighing 10 grams with a 28 mm diameter, this piece was engraved by Peter Getz of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as a proposal for United States cent coinage during the pivotal year when the Coinage Act established the framework for American money. The ornamented edge demonstrates Getz's command of advanced coining technology, as edge decoration required specialized equipment — either an ornamented collar die or a Castaing machine — that not all private die sinkers could produce or access. Washington's military bust on the obverse presents the first president in his Continental Army uniform, while the reverse completes the proposed cent design. Extremely rare, the ornamented edge cent is one of the rarest variants among the various Getz pattern configurations, as the additional manufacturing complexity of the edge decoration likely limited the number of pieces produced. The 1792 Getz patterns as a group represent the most important private proposals for early American coinage design, competing with patterns produced at the newly established Philadelphia Mint for the honor of defining the visual identity of the nation's money.

Rarity Notes

Extremely rare. The ornamented edge cent is one of the rarest Getz patterns.

Cross References

Baker 29; Musante GW-31; Whitman 10740