1857 Flying Eagle Cent

1857 Flying Eagle Cent

The Flying Eagle Cent was designed by James B. Longacre. The coin has a weight of 4.67 grams, a diameter of 19mm, an a plain rim. The Flying Eagle Cent are 88% copper and 12% nickel which gives them a light color. Common nicknames for the Flying Eagle Cent were ‘white cent’, because of its color, and ‘nickel cent’ or ‘nick’, stemming from their composition (remember, the first five cent piece to be called a nickel was ten years later in 1866!). All specimens were struck in Philadelphia.

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Description

The History of the Flying Eagle Cent (1856-1858):

By 1857 the cost of striking and distributing Large Cents (1793-1857) has risen to the point that the U.S. Treasury abandoned production of the Large Cent, and the Half Cent, in favor of the Small Cent. The first Small Cent officially issued for circulation was the 1857 Flying Eagle Cent. Although approximately 1,500 1856 Flying Eagle Cents were struck at the Philadelphia Mint the year before, they were made as patterns to show Congress how the new cent would look and as proof editions offered for sale to collectors at a premium.

These new Small Cents were quickly accepted by the public who had all but stopped using the heavier Large Cents. The Act of February 21, 1857 which made Small Cents possible was also important because, by its terms, Spanish coins could be exchanged and melted at the mint in exchange for the new Small Cents. The public would no longer have to convert reals, medios, shillings, bits or pennies. The decimal system became both popular and official thereafter, although many people to this day still incorrectly refer to the cent as a penny!

 

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