 1879 Metric $1.00. Judd 1617-1618. Silver, RE. Very Choice Brilliant Proof. Here is a glittering example of William Barber's 35.7mm, 24.91 gram (384.4 grain) Pattern Dollar, struck with the diameter and weight of the French 5 Francs, a basic denomination of the then-flourishing Latin Monetary Union. The obverse presents an elegant diadem Liberty head, the reverse has the Latin motto DEO EST GLORIA, Glory is to God used on the Metric and Goloid Patterns of these busy years. The central inscription proclaims a special Metric alloy composed of .42% Gold, 89.58% Silver and 10% Copper, but there is no simple, non-destructive way to determine whether this alloy is what appears here and not the standard 90% Silver of regular U.S. coinage.
It should be noted that this Pattern is not composed of the other great contemporary alloy, Dr. Wheeler W. Hubbell's Goloid, which contained a greater amount of Gold, 5.46%. The present coin's glittering silver fields, precisely detailed strike and gentle hint of pale gold make it an especially charming example of an important and historical U.S. Pattern.
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