Flying Eagle Cents

Flying Eagle cents (and Indian Head cents) were designed by James B. (Barton) Longacre (1794-1869) and only struck for three years (1856-1858). The 1856 coin (actually a pattern made to show Congress how the new cent would look) is the rarest with a mintage of only 2,000. Some 1856 cents probably went into general circulation during the Civil War. Red Book (2008) values for the 1856 Flying Eagle cent range from $6,500 to $20,000. Note: Some 1858 cents have been illegally altered to read 1856. They are easy to spot because the shape of the 5 is different on the 1858 than it is on the 1856.