Specifications

Denomination: 1 Cent
Series: Flying Eagle Cents
Designer: James B. Longacre
Years of issue: 1857–1858
Composition: 88% Copper, 12% Nickel
Weight: 4.67 g
Diameter: 19 mm
KM: 85
Mintage: 17450000
Key mintages: First small cent issued for circulation; 1856 pieces were patterns, not regular issues

Melt value: $0.06copper $0.44/ozt · prices as of Sep 16, 2026

Obverse of an 1857 Flying Eagle cent. Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Monnaies, médailles et antiques — public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The 1857 Flying Eagle cent is the affordable key to the series: circulated examples typically trade for a few dozen dollars — recent European auction results for VF/XF pieces landed in the $15–$45 range (Numista) — while fully struck Mint State examples command strong premiums (GreatCollections).

History

The 1857 Flying Eagle cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a mintage of 17,450,000 pieces and is the first small cent issued for circulation in the United States (GreatCollections).
By the early 1850s, the large cent — about the size of a half dollar — was unpopular in commerce and expensive to mint, so the Mint settled on a smaller cent in an alloy of 88% copper and 12% nickel (Wikipedia).
After patterns dated 1856 were given to legislators and officials, Congress formally authorized the new piece in February 1857 (Wikipedia).
The new cent was issued in exchange for the worn Spanish colonial silver coin that had circulated in the U.S. and for the old large cents; the public queued to obtain them — one of the few times an American coinage change produced genuine excitement (GreatCollections).
The eagle design did not strike well in the hard copper-nickel alloy, and after just two circulation years (1857–1858) it was replaced in 1859 by Longacre’s Indian Head cent (Wikipedia).

What is it worth

Because 17.45 million were struck and the issue is common in circulated grades, the 1857 is the affordable entry to Flying Eagle collecting: recent auction results cataloged by Numista show VF examples selling for roughly $15–$39 and XF examples around $43 (Numista).
The pale copper-nickel alloy is hard and strikes indifferently, so weakness at the eagle’s head and tail is normal — fully struck examples command premiums (GreatCollections).
Do not confuse this circulation issue with the 1856 Flying Eagle cent: the 1856 pieces were patterns, not regular issues (MintProducts), and they are a separate, far more valuable coin — see our entry on the 1856 pattern.

What drives the premium

Strike quality: fully struck examples with sharp eagle head and tail feathers are the exception, not the rule (GreatCollections).
Original mint luster and attractive toning on the pale copper-nickel planchets.
Certified high-grade survivors: with only two circulation dates in the type, type collectors concentrate demand on very few issues (GreatCollections).
Die varieties (Snow numbers, e.g., doubled-die and repunched-date varieties) carry their own premiums (Greysheet).

How to identify the valuable variety

Obverse: an eagle in flight with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the top and the date 1857 centered at the bottom (Greysheet).
Reverse: ONE CENT in the center surrounded by a wreath of corn, wheat, cotton and tobacco tied with a ribbon at the bottom (GreatCollections).
Metal: a pale, silvery copper-nickel alloy (88% copper, 12% nickel) — noticeably lighter in color than a copper large cent or Indian Head cent (Wikipedia).
No mint mark: all Flying Eagle cents were struck at Philadelphia (Wikipedia).
Check for full feather detail on the eagle’s head and tail — weak strike is normal, so a sharp one is worth a premium (GreatCollections).

Specifications

Composition: 88% copper, 12% nickel (Wikipedia; GreatCollections)
Weight: 4.67 g (Wikipedia; GreatCollections)
Diameter: 19 mm (Wikipedia; GreatCollections)
Edge: plain (Wikipedia)
Designer: James B. Longacre (Wikipedia)
Mint: Philadelphia, no mint mark (Wikipedia)
Mintage: 17,450,000 (GreatCollections; Greysheet)
KM: KM 85 (Baldwin’s)

Collector notes

The 1856-dated pieces were patterns: over 1,000 were eventually struck, many given to government officials and dignitaries, and though often included in early cent collections, they are pattern coins, not regular issues (MintProducts).
The Flying Eagle cent lasted only two circulation years before the Indian Head cent replaced it in 1859, making it one of the shortest-lived U.S. coin types — a complete business-strike set is just the 1857 and 1858 (Wikipedia; MintProducts).
Weak strikes are the norm, so don’t mistake a softly struck head or tail for wear when grading (GreatCollections).