Random Date Flying Eagle Cent NGC Genuine

PRODUCT DETAILS/DESCRIPTION

Random Date Flying Eagle Cent NGC Genuine

Collect this Genuine certified Flying Eagle Cent from NGC!

REVERSE: Depicts a wreath with ONE CENT inscribed in the center.

OBVERSE: Features an eagle in flight with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the date inscribed.

Flying Eagle Cents

Issued from 1856 to 1858, the Flying Eagle cent replaced the cumbersome copper large cent that had been used since the late 1700s. Rising copper prices and widespread complaints about the large cent’s size prompted the U.S. Mint to trial a smaller planchet in a tougher copper-nickel alloy. The 1856 pieces were made in limited numbers as patterns to secure congressional approval. Full-scale production for circulation began in 1857 and continued through 1858, and the public quickly adopted the smaller cents often referred to as the flying eagle penny in early hobby literature.

The composition shifted to approximately 88% copper and 12% nickel, creating a harder, paler coin compared with earlier pure copper cents. Diameter dropped to about 19 mm—far smaller than the 27–29 mm large cents. This transition coincided with a government effort to withdraw and redeem foreign small coins and old large cents, streamlining everyday transactions and change-making.

Despite their appeal, flying eagle cents were challenging to strike crisply, especially the reverse wreath. By 1859, the Indian Head cent replaced the design, retaining the copper-nickel alloy but improving minting performance.