Cent Nickel

Flying Eagle Gold

1856 marked an auspicious 12 months 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 snug with the coin, until 1856.

Since the beginning 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 fascinating name. Flowing Hair Cents have been produced by the US Mint from 1793 by way of 1796, after they have been replaced by Draped Bust Cents. The Classic Head Cent design was the design produced from 1808 by means of 1814 when it was changed by the Coronet Head Cent. Finally, the Braided Hair Cent took heart stage in 1839. It was also referred to as the “Foolish Head” or the “Booby Head” Cent. The Braided Hair Cent was produced through 1857.

People started to object to carrying round these coins. Some individuals said the cash have been too massive, with a diameter of 27.5 millimeters (retailers complained that the coins “clogged up” their tills). There have been complaints that the coins had been too heavy, weighing in at a hefty 10.89 grams. The general public gave the impression to be prepared for a change in its pennies.

In 1856 the US Mint started producing a smaller, lighter one cent coin. The Flying Eagle Cent was the first of what collectors now refer to as “Small Cents” (weighing 4.7 grams with a diameter of 19 millimeters) contrasted with the one cent cash heretofore produced being dubbed “Massive Cents.”

The public didn’t like the coin. The Flying Eagle Cent didn’t encompass 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 check with the new cent as the “white cent.” People 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, folks typically referred to the coin as the “Buzzard Cent.”

Officials at the US Mint were embarrassed. They rapidly made plans to revamp the coin. Longacre was commissioned to produce the brand new design. The Eagle was eliminated, and Liberty returned to the front of the one cent coin, this time sporting a Native American headdress. The Indian Head Cent remains one of the common coins ever produced by the US Mint, while the Flying Eagle Cent took its place among the many cash with the briefest mintage in US history…simply [two] years (1857-1858).

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

Somehow, not all the coins made their approach back to the Mint. Evidently some of them had been stored as souvenirs by varied people. The coins’ rarity precipitated their collector’s value to soar. Now, even essentially the most mediocre specimens of the 1856 Flying Eagle Cent promote for in excess of $5,000, with the nicest of those coins expected to bring properly in excess of $100,000. (The Skilled Coin Grading Service lists the worth of the very best grade Flying Eagles they have licensed as $one hundred fifty,000.) Evidently, counterfeiters have taken note of those numbers and have taken steps to try to defraud people by producing and promoting fakes.

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

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3 Cent Nickel