1858 Flying Eagle Cent - Small Letters High Leaves FS-901

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged as FS-901 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. 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. The series' brief three-year lifespan makes every die variety significant to specialists, and transitional pairings like the Small Letters High Leaves are particularly prized because they document the Mint's internal die management practices. The FS-901 designation places this variety within the standard Fivaz-Stanton catalog framework used by collectors and dealers nationwide, and the variety serves as the counterpart to the Large Letters Low Leaves FS-901, together documenting the two possible cross-type die combinations in the 1858 Flying Eagle cent series.

Cross References

FS-901