Collect The Flying Eagle Penny!

1858 Flying Eagle Cent/1858 Flying Eagle Penny: Collectors Notes

Andrew Spaeth — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 10:09:55 +0000

Collectors Notes On The 1858 Flying Eagle Cent:

Like the 1857 year, the 1858 Flying Eagle Cent was struck in large numbers in order to make up for 64 year's worth of Large Cents that were being redeemed under the Coinage Act of February 21st, 1857. A total of 24,600,000 circulation strike examples of the 1858 Flying Eagle Cent were minted.

1858 Flying Eagle Penny Large Letters Very Nice
US $6.50

Set of 3 Flying Eagle Cents 1857 1858 SL LL
US $69.00

1858 Flying Eagle Cent Lg Letters Scarce Early Die State AND 1858 Lg Letters
US $16.50

1858 Flying Eagle Cent Lg Letters Scarce Early Die State
US $9.99

1858 FLYING EAGLE CENT RARE DATEW
US $6.99

SET OF 3 FLYING EAGLE CENTS 1857 1858 SL LL
US $75.00

Flying Eagle Cents1857 1858LL 1758SL lot of three
US $20.51

1858 Flying Eagle Penny
US $25.00

1858 Flying Eagle Cent Small Letters Fine Condition
US $44.00

Set of 3 Flying Eagle Cents 1857 1858 SL LL Fines
US $95.00

1858 FLYING EAGLE CENT PENNY VG VERY NICE GREAT COLLECTOR COIN GIFT FE19
US $31.95

1858 Flying Eagle Cent G Good Condition LK Small Letters SL
US $24.99

Unlike the 1857 Flying Eagle Cent, The 1858 Flying Eagle Cent came in 2 distinct varieties, Large letters and Small Letters.

Large Letters 1858 Flying Eagle Cent:

It is estimated that of the 24,600,000 examples of the 1858 Flying Eagle Cent that were minted, roughly half were the Large letters variety 1858 Flying Eagle Cent. The Large Letters 1858 Flying Eagle Cent is readily identified by looking at the "A" and the "M" in AMERICA on the obverse. These Letters will touch each other at the end of the "A" and the Beginning of the "M" in the Large Letters variety.

The Large Letters 1858 Flying Eagle Cent is scarcer than the 1857 year of issue, though more 1858 coins were minted in total. This is due to the 50/50 split between the 2 1858 varieties. The Large Letter coins circulated more widely and are found more often in the lower grades as a result.

The hardness of the copper nickel alloy used in the Flying Eagle Penny caused a reverse die change in the 1858 year. This has resulted in 2 Reverse Types for the Large Letters 1858 Flying Eagle Cent. This information is not widely known among most collectors. Large Letter coins were minted with high relief Type of 1857 reverse dies and low relief Type of 1858 dies. This has resulted in a High Leaves and Low Leaves reverse in these coins. The high leaves coins have the Type Of 1857 reverse and the inner leaves of the wreath are much closer to the "C" and "T" in cent than on the Low Leaves Type of 1858 reverse.

The optimal collecting grade for this 1858 Flying Eagle Cent is Extremely Fine 40. The wide circulation of this coin has made the lower grade coins very plentiful, and they will not provide the best value and because their resale value is low.

Small Letters 1858 Flying Eagle Cent:

The Small Letters 1858 Flying Eagle Cent was designed to try to lower the relief of the design to extend die life. The easiest way to identify this coin is by the space between the letters "A" and "M" in AMERICA on the obverse, due to the smaller letter punches. There are also slight modifications to the eagle on the Small Letters 1858 Flying Eagle Cent, but the letters are the easiest way to distinguish this coin.

There is no clear record of when the Small Letters design went into production, and it is possible that both styles of 1858 Flying Eagle Cent were in production at the same time during at least part of the run.

1858 Flying Eagle Cent Value: Large Letters

G-4 $27.50 VG-8 $41.00 F-12 $43.50 VF-20 $56 XF-40 $150 AU-50 $220 MS-60 $340 MS-65 $3850

1858 Flying Eagle Cent Value: Small Letters

G-4 $26 VG-8 $39.00 F-12 $42 VF-20 $47 XF-40 $135 AU-50 $135 MS-60 $320 MS-65 $3650

Here are the 1858 Flying Eagle Cent auctions currently running on eBay, continually sorted and updated in real time for your ease of use.

1858 Flying Eagle Penny Large Letters Very Nice
US $6.50

Set of 3 Flying Eagle Cents 1857 1858 SL LL
US $69.00

1858 Flying Eagle Cent Lg Letters Scarce Early Die State AND 1858 Lg Letters
US $16.50

1858 Flying Eagle Cent Lg Letters Scarce Early Die State
US $9.99

1858 FLYING EAGLE CENT RARE DATEW
US $6.99

SET OF 3 FLYING EAGLE CENTS 1857 1858 SL LL
US $75.00

Flying Eagle Cents1857 1858LL 1758SL lot of three
US $20.51

1858 Flying Eagle Penny
US $25.00

1858 Flying Eagle Cent Small Letters Fine Condition
US $44.00

Set of 3 Flying Eagle Cents 1857 1858 SL LL Fines
US $95.00

1858 FLYING EAGLE CENT PENNY VG VERY NICE GREAT COLLECTOR COIN GIFT FE19
US $31.95

1858 Flying Eagle Cent G Good Condition LK Small Letters SL
US $24.99

Feel free to browse these 1858 Flying Eagle cent auctions!

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Flying Eagle Penny Auction Of The Day: Die Crack Error? 1857 Flying Eagle Cent NEAR GEM BU TOUGH This NICE

Andrew Spaeth — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:56:28 +0000

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Here is an auction for one BEAUTIFUL Flying Eagle Penny!

This 1857 Flying Eagle Penny is choice BU with very pleasing fields on both the obverse and reverse. Looks as though the obverse may have a couple of small ticks, above the front wing and above the 8 in the date, but nothing major. The really interesting thing about this 1857 Flying Eagle Penny is that it looks like there is a die crack running from 5 o'clock to 11 o'clock on the reverse of the coin. I am no expert but it seems to show readily in the excellent pictures provided by the seller, who does not seem to be aware as he makes no mention of a die crack.

This 1857 Flying Eagle Cent is a raw coin that could be slabbed and graded by a reputable grading service like PCGS or ANACS to solidify and increase its value, as well as verify the die crack error it appears to have. The auction includes FREE shipping and the seller is TOP RATED with a 99.9% positive feedback rating.

This is undervalued at its current bid and would make a great addition to any Flying Eagle/Indian Head Penny collection.

Will you be the next owner of this wonderful and historic Flying Eagle Penny?

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1857 Flying Eagle Cent| 1857 Flying Eagle Penny: Collectors Notes

Andrew Spaeth — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:02:46 +0000

Collectors Notes On The 1857 Flying Eagle Cent:

The 1857 Flying Eagle Cent was the first full year of issue for this coin. The 1856 Flying Eagle Cent was struck in low quantities and used to "advertise" the new small sized cent.

It was given to newspaper editors, politicians, and other men of influence who could sell the idea of the small cent to a public who had been saving and spending the Large Cent for years. The intrinsic value of a coin was very important in those days, and the idea of a smaller cent would lead many to feel they were being short changed the difference of the value between a large and small copper coin. Only 800 circulation strikes were minted in 1856.

The Philadelphia mint struck 17,450,000 examples of the 1857 Flying Eagle Cent and these were all eagerly snapped up.

The Coinage a Act of February 12th, 1857 allowed for the redemption of older worn copper cents and certain foreign coinage like the Spanish Reales that had been in use since before the US founding. Many of these Reales were worn slick from use, and the act would replace the old coins with bright shiny copper nickel Flying Eagle Pennies.

The mint could not keep up with the demand, and those who were lucky enough to get possession of the 1957 Flying Eagle Cent would often sell a portion of their pennies at a premium to those not as fortunate. This continued into the 1858 year, when an additional 24,600,000 coins were minted.

Initially, the 1857 Flying Eagle Cent was heavily saved as a curiosity, and the fact that large numbers of them were "paid out" for old coppers and reales may have helped with survivability. Only a few at a time could be spent, so many were bundled into bags of 25, 50 or 100 quantity, limiting the wear from personal contact. By 1863 the Civil War would cause all coinage to be removed from circulation as people hoarded coins in uncertain times. After the War they came back into circulation and stayed there till the 1870's, when The Mint Act of 1871 gave the Mint the authority to redeem old copper nickel and bronze coins for new Indian Head Pennies. The redeemed coins were melted and used to mint more pennies.

As a result of this, most examples of the 1857 Flying Eagle Cent are either heavily worn (fine or below) or Uncirculated. Finding an excellent 1857 Flying Eagle Cent in Extremely Fine Or About Uncirculated condition is a difficult task.

1857 Flying Eagle Cent Value:

G-4 $27.50 VG-8 39.00 F-12 $40.00 VF-20 $47 XF-40 $125 AU-50 $165 MS-60 $320 MS-65 $3500

1857 Flying Eagle Penny
US $6.61

1857 flying eagle one cent
US $6.29

1857 US 1 CENT COIN FLYING EAGLE ONE CENT PIECE PRE CIVIL WAR
US $9.50

Set of 3 Flying Eagle Cents 1857 1858 SL LL
US $69.00

SET OF 3 FLYING EAGLE CENTS 1857 1858 SL LL
US $75.00

Flying Eagle Cents1857 1858LL 1758SL lot of three
US $20.51

Set of 3 Flying Eagle Cents 1857 1858 SL LL Fines
US $95.00

1857 flying eagle 1 cent piece
US $30.00

1857 Flying Eagle Cent G Good Condition Copper LK
US $29.99

1857 Flying Eagle Cent F Fine Condition Copper LK 2
US $39.99

1857 Flying Eagle in excellant circulated condition
US $329.95

1857 FLYING EAGLE SOLID GOOD RARE PRE CIVIL WAR COIN 0102
US $7.51

The 1857 Flying Eagle Cent is readily available in both circulated and uncirculated grades on eBay!

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The Flying Eagle Penny: The First Small Cent Issued By The US Mint!

Andrew Spaeth — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:53:33 +0000

The Flying Eagle Penny is one of the more popular coins for US collectors.

The 1856 Flying Eagle Penny is one of the rarest and most expensive of all key date US coins, with only an estimated 800 or so circulation strikes and 1500 proof strikes.

The Flying Eagle Penny was brought into production because around the time of its release the cost of copper was causing the Mint to lose money in producing the classic Large Cent design. Prices of copper at that time were around 42 cents a pound and the Mint had calculated that when the cost of copper was at or above this level, it would incur a loss on these coins when manufacturing costs were factored in.

This was troubling for the Mint because producing Large Cents had long been a profit center due to the fact that they had cost much less than a cent to produce and the difference, or "seignorage" went directly to the Mint's bottom line.

The lineage of the Flying Eagle Penny can be traced back to the Feuchtwanger's Tokens proposed by Dr. Lewis Feuchtwanger in the late 1830's.

Feuchtwanger had spent a lot of time trying to convince Congress to use his Feuchtwanger's composition, a silvery alloy of nickel copper and zinc, in US coinage. This "German Silver" had a light colored composition similar to the copper nickel all0y that would be used in the Flying Eagle Penny. These also had an eagle motif with a feather design similar to that of the Flying Eagle Penny. Although his pattern was never adopted, Feuchtwanger's Tokens would later circulate as money as a result of the coin shortages of the early 1940's.

The design of the Flying Eagle Penny was based on the Flying Eagle design that Christian Gobrecht had designed in 1838 for use in US half dollars.

The reverse featured a wreath designed by James Longacre for use on $1 and $3 US gold coins. Longacre engraved the dies designed for the minting of the Flying Eagle Penny and later achieved fame as the designer of the classic Indian Head penny. The composition of the Flying Eagle Penny was set at 88% copper and 12% nickel.

The 1856 Flying Eagle Penny was minted in low quantities to "educate" the public about this new size cent. Large Cents had been in circulation since the Mint's founding, and people were more vocal about changes in the country's money in the 1850's than they are now. Coins of this time were designed to guarantee a fixed amount of a metal's intrinsic value in each coin, and the reduction of size in the cent could have been viewed as the government trying to "cheat" the possessor of the smaller coin out of a specific amount of intrinsic value. These coins were minted for distribution to newspaper editors, congressmen, & other "influential" individuals who could get the word out and create a favorable view of the coins. Word got out about the new coins and soon the 1856 Flying Eagle Penny was being traded at a premium of 50 cents to a dollar a coin. This was at a time when $2 was more than a day's pay for many people, which is quite remarkable.

The Mint struck 17,450,000 examples of the 1857 Flying Eagle Penny and 24,600,00 examples of the 1858 Flying Eagle Penny. These were soon snapped up by an eager public, who were taking advantage of a program where they could turn in their worn and damaged coppers and Spanish Reales for the Flying Eagle Penny. Supply could not keep up with demand and the lucky folks who got a hold of the Flying Eagle Penny often sold them at a premium to those less lucky. But the Mint was not as happy with the Flying Eagle Penny. Mint director James Snowden decided that the design of the coin caused it to strike poorly and after a run of only three years, the Flying Eagle Penny was replaced by the Indian Head penny.

1857 Flying Eagle Cent
US $30.00

1857 flying eagle one cent
US $6.29

1857 US 1 CENT COIN FLYING EAGLE ONE CENT PIECE PRE CIVIL WAR
US $9.50

Set of 3 Flying Eagle Cents 1857 1858 SL LL
US $69.00

1858 Flying Eagle Cent Lg Letters Scarce Early Die State AND 1858 Lg Letters
US $16.50

1858 Flying Eagle Cent Lg Letters Scarce Early Die State
US $9.99

1858 FLYING EAGLE CENT RARE DATEW
US $6.99

SET OF 3 FLYING EAGLE CENTS 1857 1858 SL LL
US $75.00

Flying Eagle Cents1857 1858LL 1758SL lot of three
US $20.51

1858 Flying Eagle Penny
US $25.00

1858 Flying Eagle Cent Small Letters Fine Condition
US $44.00

Set of 3 Flying Eagle Cents 1857 1858 SL LL Fines
US $95.00

The Flying Eagle penny is easy to find on eBay!

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