1858 Flying Eagle Cent - Small Letters High Leaves FS-1901

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged as FS-1901 in the Fivaz-Stanton reference, this 1858 Flying Eagle cent variety represents a transitional die pairing that combines the Small Letters obverse — where the date numerals and legends are rendered in a smaller font — with a reverse where the leaves beneath the letters "C" and "T" in CENT sit higher than their normal position on standard Small Letters reverses, instead matching the leaf placement typically seen on Large Letters reverses. The Philadelphia Mint struck 24,600,000 Flying Eagle cents dated 1858 in all; how many came from this die pairing is not recorded. This mismatched die combination provides physical evidence of die sharing between the two major 1858 Flying Eagle cent subtypes, demonstrating that the Mint's die inventory was not strictly segregated between Small Letters and Large Letters production. The Flying Eagle cent, designed by James B. Longacre and produced only from 1856 to 1858, was the first small-format cent in American coinage, replacing the large copper cents that had circulated since 1793.

Cross References

FS-1901