1858 Flying Eagle Cent Base

About This Coin

The 1858 Flying Eagle Cent Base is a United States cent from the Flying Eagle Cents 1856-1858 series — the final year of the series. In 1858, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 98.4 million. This represents the highest annual mintage in the entire series, above the series median of 34.9 million. The obverse features a flying eagle in mid-flight, adapted from the Gobrecht dollar reverse and the reverse displays a wreath enclosing ONE CENT. Two major varieties exist: Large Letters and Small Letters, referring to the size of the legend on the obverse. The design was replaced by the Indian Head Cent in 1859 due to striking difficulties caused by the high-relief eagle. Struck in 88% copper, 12% nickel, weighing 4.7 grams, 19 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Collectors have cataloged 11 known die varieties for this date across 2 categories, including doubled die obverse, retained cud. Across its variants, estimated values range from $123 to $15K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $74K in MS65+ grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by James Barton Longacre.