Photo courtesy of the National Numismatic Collection of the Smithsonian Institution - inventory number 1991.0357.0121. This is the famous Wright quarter trial with 87 stars on the reverse. In the past, this pattern had been described as a cent or half eagle pattern. Don Taxay's U.S. Mint and Coinage mentions a Mint memorandum dated September 11, 1793 which revealed that Joseph Wright had requested payment for "Two Essays of a Quarter Dollar, cut by direction of David Rittenhouse, Esqr and presented to him (broke in hardening)..." Pollock believes this pattern was made late in 1792 as the motto "Liberty Parent of Science and Industry' has been shortened to the more traditional "Liberty" as on the 1793 coinage. In addition to the illustrated Smithsonian coin, another copper specimen is known ex Cogan 4/1863, Bushnell, Parmelee, Dewitt Smith, Brand (journal #46508), Judd, Kosoff & Kaplan 1960s fixed price lists and is struck from a shattered reverse die. A die break is visible in the lower right reverse on the plate in Breen's Encyclopedia. Both have straight reeded edges not diagonal as on the 1792 half dismes. There are also 4 known struck in white metal with plain edges J13/P15. Their pedigrees are far from complete. 1) Lohr, Century sale, Chase Manhattan Bank, ANS - illustrated above Photo courtesy of the American Numismatic Society 2) Chapman 3/30, Morgenthau 10/35, New Netherlands 6/55, Norweb, Bowers and Merena 11/88. 3 and 4) New York Historical Society discovered there in 2002. To view images of these 2, click here. Earlier sales for these include Strobridge 9/1863?; Seavey (1873 Descriptive Catalog #844) to Parmelee. The Strobridge listing may actually belong to the Parmelee coin. Parmelee apparently sold this after he purchased the Bushnell copper example listed above. Obverse and reverse die trials in white metal are also known to exist. They are listed in Pollock as JA1792-1/P3001 and JA1792-2/P3004 respectively and are ex Bushnell, Chapman 5/1883, Garrett-JHU, Bowers and Ruddy 3/81 (Garrett IV), Bowers and Ruddy RCR #39, Bowers and Merena 1/99. For additional historical information on 1792 coinage, click here.