1859 Cent Patterns

About This Coin

Produced at the Philadelphia Mint during a watershed year for American cent coinage, the 1859 patterns coincide with the introduction of the Indian Head cent replacing the Flying Eagle after just three years. These experimental pieces tested reverse designs and metals for the cent, among them the oak wreath and shield that was adopted in 1860 (Judd-228) (USPatterns). The year sits at the intersection of two major coinage trends: the ongoing size and weight reduction that produced the small-format copper-nickel cent in 1857, and the artistic experimentation continuing through the Civil War years as new designs proliferated. Some 1859 cent patterns preserve designs never adopted, offering glimpses of alternative numismatic histories where American pocket change might have looked very different from the Indian Head cent that served until 1909.