Reconstruction Era Patterns (1866-1869)

About This Series

Produced during the turbulent years following the Civil War, Reconstruction Era patterns document the Philadelphia Mint's intensive experimentation with new designs, denominations, and compositions as the monetary system was being rebuilt. Wartime suspension of specie payments had driven gold and silver from circulation, replaced by fractional currency and base-metal emergency coinage. As the government debated resuming convertible currency, Mint officials under Director James Pollock and Chief Engraver William Barber explored radical alternatives. Key patterns include proposals incorporating IN GOD WE TRUST (authorized for coinage in 1866), experiments with nickel and aluminum alloys as potential substitutes, and designs exploring alternative Liberty portraits. The five-cent nickel, entering production in 1866, emerged directly from this program. These patterns reflect broader Reconstruction tensions, when monetary policy debates intertwined with national identity and economic recovery. Struck in extremely limited quantities for officials and favored collectors, Reconstruction Era patterns are rare survivors of a period when American coinage was being reimagined from the ground up.