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The History of the Flying Eagle and Indian Head Cent – Part 1 by Keith Scott
The Flying Eagle Cent was first produced as a pattern cent in 1856 and then officially produced for only two years; 1857 and 1858, but the idea of producing a smaller cent to replace the larger “Large Cent”, first surfaced in 1837. Dr. Lewis Feuchtwanger devoted a significant amount of time attempting to convince Congress in using his own composition of copper, nickel and zinc which produced a silvery appearing coin. The coin was lightweight and durable. Congress rejected his proposal but that did not stop Feuchtwanger. He produced his own tokens with the declared value of once cent. Still no luck.
Around 1850, the price of copper rose to a point that caused concern for the Mint. The Mint experimented with a smaller sized coin with several designs and metal combinations. In 1851 the price of copper subsided and the urgency for a new cent went away. In late 1852 and early 1853, the price of copper once again rose to historic levels of 42 cents per pound. The Mint estimated that when copper was over 40 cents per pound, the Mint suffered a loss when making the Large Cent. In 1853 some patterns were created, but still no definite orders for change. In 1854 and 1855 even more pattern cents were produced. These patters were similar to other Liberty Head designs of the times. Still, no orders to change.
In 1856, the Mint’s melter and refiner, James Booth, determined that a mixture of 88 parts copper and 12 parts nickel with a weight of 72 grains would be an ideal metal for a new cent. This alloy would be known as the copper-nickel alloy. The end result would be a coin that was small but thick so as to not be confused with silver denominations at the time including silver three-cent pieces, half-dimes and regular dimes. If you have ever held a Flying Eagle, you will immediately notice the thickness as compared to a modern day Lincoln Cent as well as these other silver denominations.
Finally, on July 11, 1856, Mint Director James Ross Sweden recommended the new style. The Mint’s Chief Engraver, James B. Longrace, was tasked with preparing new patterns with the new metal and size. The new design featured an eagle flying to the left. The eagle motif was the same design used on the Gobrecht Dollar. It has been speculated that the eagle design is that of Peter the Eagle who was a mint resident during the 1830’s and is now stuffed and a permanent residence. The difference in design though was that the eagle motif on the cent is flying horizontally while on the dollar coin the eagle is flying at a slight angle upward. For the reverse of the new cent Longrace choose to reuse a design he created for the $1 and $3 gold coin. It is interesting to wonder why new designs were not created for such a monumental change. It is a fact that Longrace copied his designs and other designs for changes such as the two-cent piece and the shield nickel.
In late November of 1856, some pattern cents were struck for distribution to congressmen, newspaper editors and for anybody of influence. It still remains a mystery today as to how many were actually produced. Nearly 300 have been certified by PCGS and although they were never meant for circulation, many of the graded coins are in lower/circulated grades. During this time, it was not uncommon for the mint to re-strike coins for collectors and consequently, sometime after 1856, additional 1856 pattern cents were produced in proof format. Like the other patterns, many of these also reached circulation.
The new design was a hit and in 1857, The Coin Act of February 21, 1857, eliminated the large cent and authorized the production of the new cent. Finally, in April of 1857, production of the new cent began. They were stockpiled for several weeks until the official release date on May 25th, 1857. As was typical of the time, the public clamored for the new coin while several newspapers highly criticized its design. The public traded in old large cents and other silver coins for the new cent. Due to demand, the Mint produced over 17 million cents, which far exceeded any previous mintage of the Large Cent. With the new coin not authorized until February, the Large Cent saw a very low mintage in 1857 crating a rarity. Another 24 million Flying Eagle cents were produced in 1858. Despite the early popularity, the Flying Eagle Cent needed a change. And change it did. Please see Part 2
Keith Scott has been a collector for over 30 years and owns a small internet-based coin store at www.mountainviewcoins.com and writes articles for www.articlefree4all.com. Visit his websites for a history of US coins, metal market updates and news about your favorite coins.
Article Source: www.coin-articles.com
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