This appealing piece has speckled russet highlights on otherwise sandy-olive surfaces. The former toning is most pronounced in and around the central reverse. The detail is universally sharp from a well executed strike, and the overall appearance is pleasingly smooth.Snow-3 is the second most obtainable die marriage for the 1856 Flying Eagle cent, although it is significantly rarer than the typically encountered Snow-9. According to Rick Snow in the 2014 edition of his Flying Eagle and Indian cent attribution guide, coins from this die pair comprise only about 20% of survivors of the date. The author further asserts that the original mintage from the Snow-3 dies amounted to "probably no more than 700 pieces," which estimate squares nicely with the total of 634 examples distributed to Congressional leaders to gain support for the new copper-nickel small cent. If true, then Snow-3 is arguably the most historically significant and numismatically desirable die variety of the 1856 Flying Eagle cent. For the small cent specialist or the collector seeking an alternative to the Snow-9 variety to represent the issue, this handsome example certainly has much to offer.,,PCGS# 2037. NGC ID: 227A.,,
