Flying Eagle
1858 Flying Eagle Penny
1856 marked an auspicious yr within the history of the US Mint. From the very beginning, one cent items had been a staple of United States coins. Everyone knew their look and their feel. Everybody was comfy with the coin, until 1856.
Since the start of US coinage, the face of the one cent piece had featured an outline of the goddess Liberty. Admittedly, there had been a number of completely different depictions of Liberty, with each providing its coin with an attention-grabbing name. Flowing Hair Cents had been produced by the US Mint from 1793 by means of 1796, once they had been replaced by Draped Bust Cents. The Traditional Head Cent design was the design produced from 1808 by 1814 when it was replaced by the Coronet Head Cent. Finally, the Braided Hair Cent took center stage in 1839. It was also referred to as the “Silly Head” or the “Booby Head” Cent. The Braided Hair Cent was produced by way of 1857.
People began to object to carrying around these coins. Some people mentioned the cash had been too giant, with a diameter of 27.5 millimeters (retailers complained that the cash “clogged up” their tills). There have been complaints that the coins had been too heavy, weighing in at a hefty 10.89 grams. The public seemed to be ready for a change in its pennies.
In 1856 the US Mint began producing a smaller, lighter one cent coin. The Flying Eagle Cent was the primary of what collectors now consult with as “Small Cents” (weighing 4.7 grams with a diameter of 19 millimeters) contrasted with the one cent cash heretofore produced being dubbed “Giant Cents.”
The public did not just like the coin. The Flying Eagle Cent did not consist of pure copper, as had all one earlier one cent coins. It was 88% copper and 12% nickel. The lighter coloration prompted the public to derogatorily consult with the brand new cent as the “white cent.” Folks were not pleased with the design either. Though design on the obverse (or face) of James Barton Long acre’s coin depicts an Eagle in Flight, people generally referred to the coin because the “Buzzard Cent.”
Officials on the US Mint were embarrassed. They rapidly made plans to redesign the coin. Longacre was commissioned to provide the brand new design. The Eagle was eliminated, and Liberty returned to the front of the one cent coin, this time carrying a Native American headdress. The Indian Head Cent stays probably the most fashionable cash ever produced by the US Mint, while the Flying Eagle Cent took its place among the many coins with the briefest mintage in US history…simply [two] years (1857-1858).
Incidentally, when you occur to discover a Flying Eagle Cent bearing the date 1856, you’ll be properly-advised to take the coin to an knowledgeable to have it evaluated. The 1856 cash had been solely produced as examples to be presented to Congress and other officers to encourage them to help the coin’s acceptance. As soon as the vote was taken, legislators have been purported to return the coins to the US Treasury. The coins were imagined to be destroyed, and minting of the Flying Eagle Cent to start in 1857.
Somehow, not all of the coins made their means again to the Mint. Evidently a few of them have been stored as souvenirs by various people. The cash’ rarity brought about their collector’s value to soar. Now, even probably the most mediocre specimens of the 1856 Flying Eagle Cent sell for in excess of $5,000, with the nicest of those cash expected to convey properly in extra of $one hundred,000. (The Skilled Coin Grading Service lists the worth of the very best grade Flying Eagles they have licensed as $150,000.) For sure, counterfeiters have taken notice of these numbers and have taken steps to attempt to defraud people by producing and selling fakes.
So a set of Flying Eagle Cents consists of three coins . . . the 1857, and [two] varieties (Massive Letters and Small Letters) of the 1858. You should purchase attractive specimens of all three coins for a total of lower than $200.
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Flying Eagle Bowling Shot