1856 Flying Eagle Cent. Snow-3. Repunched 5, High Leaves. AU-55 (PCGS). CAC. An attractive and original specimen showing just the faintest traces of circulation and no significant blemishes on either side. Satiny mint luster remains in some of the more protected areas, and the patina is dominant olive-tan with flashes of underlying golden-apricot on the obverse. Sharply defined and nicely centered.<p>Following the production of small-diameter patterns since 1850, by 1856 the desire to create a new format cent for circulation was at its height. The Mint in Philadelphia struck close to 1,000 examples of James B. Longacres Flying Eagle design type for distribution to important individuals. Specialist Rick Snow suggests that the Snow-3 variety offered here "makes up most or all of the 634 specimens originally distributed to Congress to help promote passage of the pending coinage bill." The presence of an 1856 Flying Eagle cent in ones collection announces that a major milestone has been accomplished, and this piece is among the most historically significant of survivors. PCGS# 2013. NGC ID: B2CX. CAC Population: 9 in all AU grades. Ex D.L. Hansen Collection.
