Pattern coins are coins not intended to go into circulation but are intended to serve as guides in designing coins for a nation's economy. Best examples of pattern coinage is the 1792 US pattern coins and the rare 1977 "Gasparro" dollar coin.

Pattern designs are coins which are used as guidelines for coin design. The most famous and rare is the 1977 Gasparro small dollar coin and the pattern coins made by the young U.S. Mint in 1792.

1792 coinage

America's early coins name are shown below:

• Half disme (silver and copper)
• Disme (silver and copper)
• Birch cent (silver-center and pure copper)
• Quarter dollar
• Birch cent with the letters G.W.Pt (George Washington President)

The proposed coinage of that year was of course never actually adopted.

1977 Gasparro dollar coin

In 1977 the U.S. Mint was looking for a small, quarter-sized dollar coin that would replace the big and cumbersome Eisenhower dollar. Various designs were reviewed by the Mint until this coin came in: the 1977 Gasparro dollar coin.

Designed by Frank Gasparro, the coin had Liberty with flowing hair and an eagle on the reverse of the coin.

The design wasn't approved but another of Gasparro's designs, the Apollo 11 insignia and Susan B. Anthony designs.

America's first coins never got the designs of the pattern ones, but they were closely related.