1787 Fugio Cent - United Above, States Below

Coin Details

Description

Among the most immediately recognizable varieties in the entire Fugio cent series, this 1787 issue features a reverse legend arrangement found on no other die: UNITED appears above the chain link design and STATES appears below it, splitting the national name across the two halves of the coin rather than reading continuously around the periphery in the standard arrangement. This atypical layout — cataloged within the Newman reference system — indicates either a different die sinker from those responsible for the standard legend placement, or an experimental approach to the reverse design that was not adopted for subsequent die production. The obverse retains the familiar sundial with FUGIO and MIND YOUR BUSINESS, and the reverse displays the thirteen chain links encircling WE ARE ONE, but the split-legend arrangement fundamentally alters the visual rhythm of the reverse, drawing the eye vertically across the design rather than around it. Authorized by the Continental Congress on April 21, 1787, and struck at James Jarvis's New Haven, Connecticut mint, Fugio cents were America's first federally authorized coinage. Scarce and unique in its legend placement among all known Fugio cent dies, the United Above, States Below variety appeals strongly to collectors who prize pieces that stand apart visually from the standard types, and its one-of-a-kind reverse layout ensures it will always occupy a special position within comprehensive Newman-organized Fugio cent collections.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. The split legend arrangement is unique among Fugio cents.

Cross References

Newman; United Above, States Below variety