Values
A Flying Eagle cent’s market depends on the date, the 1858 letter size, and how much of the eagle is actually there. This page is a series reference, not a price list.
The mintage chart has no G, VF, or MS-63 column filled in. The NGC US Coin Price Guide extract on file, retrieved 2026-08-21, does not include Flying Eagle rows. A blank is a blank. Do not turn a Wikipedia mintage into a price.
A dealer looking at the coin in hand will beat a story about 1856. If you are trying to sell a box of them, start with how to sell a coin collection and the Ohio coin dealer directory.
Key Dates
This page will not invent a key-date list. 1856 is the date people ask for, and Stack’s Bowers still calls it a pattern that collectors adopted into the set. It is a row here because the Wikipedia cent mintage page prints a non-proof count. It is not bolded. Bolding is reserved for a publisher’s key list, and this pass did not copy one.
1857 and 1858 are the circulation dates. A worn 1857 is still a worn cent.
Errors
These are named varieties. This page will not invent a count.
1858 large letters and small letters. The letters in the legend changed when the Mint lowered the relief. Wikipedia’s cent mintage page prints one 1858 business-strike total. Both sizes sit on that row.
1858/7. An overdated die. It is not a separate mintage. Do not subtract it from the 1858 total on this chart.
1856 pattern and later restrikes. Stack’s Bowers describes an original distribution and later Proof restrikes. The chart uses the single non-proof figure Wikipedia prints. It does not split originals from restrikes.
Compare the coin to the NGC Coin Explorer Flying Eagle page. We do not host their plates.
Varieties
1856 is the pattern collectors count with the series. 1858 is the letter-size change, and the overdate sits on that same year. The chart does not split the 1858 total.
- 1856 patternA pattern that collectors adopted into the set. The chart uses the single non-proof figure this page already cites. It does not split originals from later restrikes.
- 1858 large lettersLarger letters in UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The relief was lowered this year. Wikipedia prints one 1858 business-strike total for both sizes.
- 1858 small lettersThe smaller legend. It shares the 1858 row. This page will not split that total.
- 1858/7An overdated die. It is not a separate count. Do not subtract it from the 1858 total on this chart.
Names follow PCGS CoinFacts and NGC, the same publishers this site already cites. This is a name list, not a price list and not a count.
Mintage
Philadelphia struck the series. There is no mint mark.
| Year | Mint | Mintage | G | VF | MS-63 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1856 | P | 634 Pattern count on the Wikipedia cent mintage page. Later restrikes are not split out. Proofs stay off this row. | — | — | — |
| 1857 | P | 17,450,000 | — | — | — |
| 1858 | P | 24,600,000 Large letters and small letters share this Wikipedia total. | — | — | — |
Mintage: the note under this table names the page that printed each count. These figures are not an NGC Coin Explorer extract and they are not the 1974 Mint pamphlet.
Collector-standard year/mint presentation follows A Guide Book of United States Coins (the Red Book). These cells are Mint manufacture figures, not a Red Book net or melt.
Values: NGC US Coin Price Guide, retrieved 2026-08-21. Guide values, not offers. Not melt. NGC IDs link to the same publisher’s price-guide listing.
Key date names: PCGS CoinFacts (2026-08-21). Bold rows are only dates that publisher named.
1857 and 1858 are the Wikipedia US cent mintage business-strike column, retrieved 2026-10-06. 1858 large letters and small letters are one total. 1856 is the non-proof count. Stack’s Bowers calls 1856 a pattern, with later restrikes. Proofs stay off.
1857 and 1858 are the business-strike figures on the Wikipedia cent mintage page. 1856 is the non-proof figure on that same page. Proofs stay off. The grade columns are empty because this site has no NGC guide extract for these rows.
Read the date. Then look at the eagle’s head before you argue about letter size.
Specifications
These are mint specs, not what a dealer pays. Wear can take a little weight off. We will not invent a tolerance.
A Flying Eagle cent is the same 88 percent copper, 12 percent nickel alloy as the copper-nickel Indian Head cent that follows it. It is not the bronze Indian cent, and it is not the modern zinc cent.
| Specification | Figure |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 19 mm |
| Thickness | Not printed |
| Weight | 4.67 g |
| Composition | 88% copper, 12% nickel |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James B. Longacre |
Diameter 19 mm, weight 4.67 g, and 88% copper / 12% nickel are the Numista type-page figures (N#14014). Stack’s Bowers prints the same diameter and alloy and a weight of 4.66 g (72 grains). Neither page, nor PCGS CoinFacts, prints a thickness. The row says Not printed. This is not the copper-nickel Indian Head thickness.
Grading
A Flying Eagle cent wears first on the eagle’s head, the upper wing, and the tail. Those three spots sit opposite the wreath, so a weak strike looks like wear until you compare both sides.
This is copper-nickel, the white cent. Brown, red-brown, and red are a bronze call. They do not belong on this coin. 1858 letter size is a variety, not a grade.
Key Diagnostic Areas
| Area | What to examine | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Eagle’s head | The feathers on the head and the eye. | The head goes flat first, and it was often soft even when new. Read it before you blame a cleaning. |
| Wing tip and tail | The upper wing tip and the tail feathers. | Those points sit opposite the wreath. A blank tip with a strong wreath is a strike problem. |
| Wreath and ONE CENT | The leaves and the letters of the denomination. | The reverse can look sharper than the eagle. Do not grade the coin from the wreath alone. |
| Fields | Hairlines and carbon spots in the open fields. | On mint-state coins, marks and luster decide the number. A wiped white cent looks bright and worse. |
Circulated & Mint State
These cards describe this coin, not a second copy of the P-1 through MS-70 chart. The shared numbers live on the glossary.
See graded photos. The photos that show what VF looks like live at PCGS. We do not host their plates. NGC Coin Explorer is another look if you want a second set.
What each named grade looks like on this design.
Poor
Poor
A disk you can still call a Flying Eagle cent if you already know the type.
- The eagle’s head and tail are gone.
- The date may be a shadow. Do not scrape it.
- Shine does not make this a better coin.
AG
About Good
You might read a digit. The high points on this Flying Eagle cent are already slick.
- The eagle’s head and tail are worn to a blank patch.
- If you cannot read the date without hoping, stay here.
- A 1857 is still this grade if it is this worn.
Good
Good
The date is readable. The design is still mostly an outline.
- The eagle’s head and tail are flat. The type is an outline, not a portrait.
- The rim should be full enough to hold the legend.
- This is a worn coin, not a details story.
VG
Very Good
The date is clear. A little life returns away from the high points.
- Some leftover detail sits away from the eagle’s head and tail.
- The high points are still tired.
- Do not clean the date to “see it better.”
Fine
Fine
You can follow the design. The high points are outlined, not sharp.
- The eagle’s head and tail are outlined and flat — no real sharpness yet.
- The rest of the coin can look busier than the grade.
- The date should be clear. The mint mark should be too, if there is one.
VF
Very Fine
The type is doing real work. The eagle’s head and tail still decide.
- Leftover detail sits on the eagle’s head and tail. The centers are still the worn spot.
- Marks do not raise the grade.
- A regular 1857 is still this grade if it is this worn.
EF
Extremely Fine
Most of the coin looks sharp. The high points tell on it.
- Light wear on the eagle’s head and tail.
- The rest of the coin can look better than the grade. Trust the high points.
- The date should be sharp.
AU
About Uncirculated
Almost no wear — and “almost” lives on the same high points.
- A trace of rub on the eagle’s head and tail.
- Luster may still sit in the fields. Rub on those high points is still rub.
- A bright coin with a slick high point is still slick.
Basal MS
Mint State
No wear. The fight is marks and luster, not how white the coin looks.
- No rub on the eagle’s head and tail.
- Marks and luster decide how this mint-state coin lives.
- A bright chewed-up coin is still chewed-up.
Choice
Choice Mint State
Still no wear. Cleaner fields than basal mint state.
- Same no-wear rule on the eagle’s head and tail.
- Fewer marks in the fields. Luster is more intact.
- White is not a grade.
Gem
Gem Mint State
A clean Flying Eagle cent for this type. Still mint state, still not a story.
- No wear on the eagle’s head and tail.
- Marks and luster, not a romance about a date or a white field.
- A slab is an opinion in plastic. The glossary has the numbers.
Proof Flying Eagle cents exist, including later 1856 restrikes. This page does not invent a PR price grid. The proof numbers live on the glossary.
Copper color designations (BN, RB, RD) do not apply to this copper-nickel cent. See the Lincoln Wheat cent and the glossary.
Overview
A Flying Eagle cent is the small copper-nickel cent of 1857 and 1858, with an eagle in flight on the front and a wreath around ONE CENT on the back. James B. Longacre’s eagle is borrowed from the Gobrecht dollar. Collectors also count the 1856 pattern with the series. The next design is the Indian Head cent.
People like them because the eagle is obvious and the series is short. They are also easy to misread. A weak head is often the strike, not a cleaning you can undo.
This page is a series article, not a shop listing.
History
Congress authorized the small cent on February 21, 1857, and the half cent and the large cent stopped. The Mint released the new cents to the public on May 25, 1857. The hard alloy and the wreath opposite the eagle broke dies and left weak strikes. In 1858 the relief was lowered, which is the letter-size change. The design was replaced for 1859.
This page will not invent a shop list or a split of the 1858 mintage.
Design
Obverse: an eagle flying left, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and the date. Reverse: ONE CENT in a wreath of corn, wheat, cotton, and tobacco. There is no mint mark.
Look at the eagle’s head, the tip of the wing, and the tail. Those spots go flat first, and they were often weak even when the coin was new. Letter size is a later call, and only on 1858.
People Also Ask
What years are Flying Eagle cents?
Circulation strikes are 1857 and 1858, Philadelphia only. 1856 is a pattern that collectors count with the series. The chart uses the non-proof figure on the Wikipedia cent mintage page. Proofs stay off.
How much is a Flying Eagle cent worth?
It depends on the date, the 1858 letter size, and the grade. This page does not print a price column. NGC did not supply guide cells for these rows. A dealer looking at the coin will beat a catalog story.
What is 1858 large letters versus small letters?
Two letter sizes in UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Wikipedia prints one 1858 business-strike total for both. This page will not split that total.
Why is the eagle weak on so many of them?
The head and tail sit opposite the wreath. The hard copper-nickel planchet did not fill both sides. A soft eagle on an otherwise honest coin is a strike, not wear you should scrub.
Collector Considerations
Buy the coin, not the 1856 story. A sharp 1858 with full feathers can teach the type better than a dark 1856 you have not compared to a photo. That is normal.
If you inherited one in an old envelope, leave it in the envelope. Copper-nickel shows wipe marks. The coin dealer directory starts in Ohio. This site does not invent shop names to fill a paragraph.
Raw coins are fine. So are slabs. What is not fine is a coin that has been polished until the eagle looks newly cut, then offered as original.
If you collect by type, one honest 1857 or 1858 is the lesson. For the bronze cent that replaced it, read the Indian Head cent.
A Final Word
Flying Eagle cents reward people who look at the head before they look at the date. Read the feathers. Leave the polish under the sink.
When you want the next small cent, the Indian Head cent is already here.