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1856 marked an auspicious year within the history of the US Mint. From the very beginning, one cent items had been a staple of United States coins. Everybody knew their look and their feel. Everybody was snug with the coin, till 1856.

Since the start of US coinage, the face of the one cent piece had featured a depiction of the goddess Liberty. Admittedly, there had been a number of totally different depictions of Liberty, with every providing its coin with an interesting name. Flowing Hair Cents have been produced by the US Mint from 1793 by way of 1796, when they were replaced by Draped Bust Cents. The Traditional Head Cent design was the design produced from 1808 by means of 1814 when it was replaced by the Coronet Head Cent. Finally, the Braided Hair Cent took middle stage in 1839. It was additionally known as the “Foolish Head” or the “Booby Head” Cent. The Braided Hair Cent was produced by 1857.

People began to object to carrying around these coins. Some folks mentioned the cash had been too large, with a diameter of 27.5 millimeters (merchants complained that the coins “clogged up” their tills). There were complaints that the coins had been too heavy, weighing in at a hefty 10.89 grams. The general public appeared 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 check with as “Small Cents” (weighing 4.7 grams with a diameter of 19 millimeters) contrasted with the one cent coins heretofore produced being dubbed “Massive Cents.”

The public didn’t like the coin. The Flying Eagle Cent did not encompass pure copper, as had all one earlier one cent coins. It was 88% copper and 12% nickel. The lighter shade prompted the public to derogatorily confer with the brand new cent because the “white cent.” Folks weren’t happy with the design either. Though design on the obverse (or face) of James Barton Long acre’s coin depicts an Eagle in Flight, people typically referred to the coin as the “Buzzard Cent.”

Officials on the US Mint have been embarrassed. They quickly made plans to redesign the coin. Longacre was commissioned to produce the new design. The Eagle was eliminated, and Liberty returned to the entrance of the one cent coin, this time sporting a Native American headdress. The Indian Head Cent remains one of the crucial standard cash ever produced by the US Mint, whereas the Flying Eagle Cent took its place among the many cash with the briefest mintage in US history…simply [two] years (1857-1858).

Incidentally, should you happen to discover a Flying Eagle Cent bearing the date 1856, you’d be nicely-suggested to take the coin to an knowledgeable to have it evaluated. The 1856 cash were only produced as examples to be presented to Congress and different officers to encourage them to support the coin’s acceptance. As soon as the vote was taken, legislators had been alleged to return the coins to the US Treasury. The cash have been supposed to be destroyed, and minting of the Flying Eagle Cent to begin in 1857.

Somehow, not all the coins made their way back to the Mint. Evidently a few of them had been saved as souvenirs by numerous people. The cash’ rarity caused their collector’s worth to soar. Now, even the most mediocre specimens of the 1856 Flying Eagle Cent sell for in excess of $5,000, with the nicest of these cash expected to convey properly in excess of $100,000. (The Professional Coin Grading Service lists the value of the highest grade Flying Eagles they’ve certified as $150,000.) Needless to say, counterfeiters have taken be aware of these numbers and have taken steps to attempt to defraud folks by producing and selling fakes.

So a set of Flying Eagle Cents consists of three coins . . . the 1857, and [two] varieties (Giant Letters and Small Letters) of the 1858. You should purchase attractive specimens of all three cash for a complete of less than $200.

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