After someone pointed out my saying 1857 was a "first year" small cent was incorrect. I did a little research & got some interesting info from Coinfacts.com......
Actually it can be debated, as yes, there's an 1856 small cent, but it's considered an unauthorized "pattern coin" much like the infamous 1913 V-nickel. I mis-spoke because my small cents coin folder does not even have a "hole" for an 1856.....it's that rare.
Boy that would be a dandy detector find!
It also mentioned why the Large Cent fell out of favor which I thought was interesting.....
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The Small Cent has been with us since 1856. It succeeded the Large Cent, first introduced in 1793. By the time the Small Cent was introduced, its predecessor was already antiquated. Twice during the history of the Large Cent, the metal content of the coin became so expensive to purchase that the manufacture exceeded its face value. The Large Cent had been unpopular since the 1840s. It was really too large, it became unsightly once it circulated and toned and it was too heavy. Since only silver and gold coins were legal tender, banks and merchants often refused to accept the coins in commerce unless they were deeply discounted below face value. The final straw came when, in 1851, it began costing the Mint $1.06 to strike a dollar face value in 1-cent coins.
The first Small Cents, the Flying Eagle issue dated 1856, was actually made without congressional approval. Although to this day no one has ever complained, technically this is an unauthorized issue falling under the same jurisdiction with the Secret Service as does the 1804 silver dollar, 1913 Liberty Head nickel and the 1933 Saint-Gaudens $20 double eagle. Of these non-authorized issues only the double eagle coin has ever been confiscated. The Flying Eagle cent of 1856 is considered to be a pattern. The general issue coins of the same design are those of 1857 and 1858. The Christian Gobrecht design for the Flying Eagle appearing on the reverse of the Gobrecht dollar was used as the obverse for the cent. The reverse wreath by James B. Longacre was borrowed from the gold dollar and $3 coins already in circulation.
No one really knows why the Flying Eagle design was so short lived, but the reason may be that it was so difficult to fully strike the design. The tail feathers are typically weak, even on Mint State specimens. (coinfacts.com)
Actually it can be debated, as yes, there's an 1856 small cent, but it's considered an unauthorized "pattern coin" much like the infamous 1913 V-nickel. I mis-spoke because my small cents coin folder does not even have a "hole" for an 1856.....it's that rare.
Boy that would be a dandy detector find!
It also mentioned why the Large Cent fell out of favor which I thought was interesting.....
_________________________________________________________________
The Small Cent has been with us since 1856. It succeeded the Large Cent, first introduced in 1793. By the time the Small Cent was introduced, its predecessor was already antiquated. Twice during the history of the Large Cent, the metal content of the coin became so expensive to purchase that the manufacture exceeded its face value. The Large Cent had been unpopular since the 1840s. It was really too large, it became unsightly once it circulated and toned and it was too heavy. Since only silver and gold coins were legal tender, banks and merchants often refused to accept the coins in commerce unless they were deeply discounted below face value. The final straw came when, in 1851, it began costing the Mint $1.06 to strike a dollar face value in 1-cent coins.
The first Small Cents, the Flying Eagle issue dated 1856, was actually made without congressional approval. Although to this day no one has ever complained, technically this is an unauthorized issue falling under the same jurisdiction with the Secret Service as does the 1804 silver dollar, 1913 Liberty Head nickel and the 1933 Saint-Gaudens $20 double eagle. Of these non-authorized issues only the double eagle coin has ever been confiscated. The Flying Eagle cent of 1856 is considered to be a pattern. The general issue coins of the same design are those of 1857 and 1858. The Christian Gobrecht design for the Flying Eagle appearing on the reverse of the Gobrecht dollar was used as the obverse for the cent. The reverse wreath by James B. Longacre was borrowed from the gold dollar and $3 coins already in circulation.
No one really knows why the Flying Eagle design was so short lived, but the reason may be that it was so difficult to fully strike the design. The tail feathers are typically weak, even on Mint State specimens. (coinfacts.com)
