LOT Heritage Rare Coin Galleries  /  2007 Long Beach, CA Sig. Coin Auction #430  / 

2189

1858 1C Small Letters MS66 PCGS. It was the Act of Feb

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:550.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1858 1C Small Letters MS66 PCGS. It was the Act of Feb
<B>1858 1C Small Letters MS66 PCGS.</B></I> Low Leaves Reverse, Closed E in ONE. It was the Act of February 21, 1857 that authorized the new small cents, struck in copper-nickel, although obviously the change was under consideration earlier, as indicated by the existence of pieces dated 1856. The coinage of half cents was discontinued by this same legislation. There is often discussion in numismatic circles regarding the status of the 1856 Flying Eagle cents: are they patterns or regular issue coins? As Congress had not authorized the small cent until 1857, any pieces made in 1856 are unquestionably patterns, although they are often collected as part of the regular series.<BR> The first design entry for the new smaller-size one cent coinage was the Flying Eagle design, attributed to James Barton Longacre. Several designs were tried on pattern pieces during the mid-1850s before this motif was chosen. Earlier, a similar eagle in flight design was chosen by Christian Gobrecht for the reverse of his silver dollar design in 1836. For the small cents, the design was short-lived, being issued only from 1856 to 1858 with two hubs used for the final year. Current PCGS population data indicates that the Small Letters coins represent only about 30% of all 1858 Flying Eagle cents.<BR> This example is a splendid Premium Gem with fully brilliant satin luster. Both sides have attractive golden-tan color with faint pinkish accents on the obverse. A few tiny planchet flakes are evident, but there are no post-mintage accidents visible on the surfaces. Population: 7 in 66, 0 finer (12/06).<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Coins & Currency (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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