Collecting coins has been popular throughout the world and history. Some people collect coins as an investment others such as myself collect coins as a hobby and I started collecting coins many years ago. My interest was more in the coins itself and not so much as to the grade of the coins, though I always looked for the best grade possible within my budget. For people who collect anything; coins, stamps, art work or even rocks for a hobby, one thing that makes the hobby worth while, other than the ownership of the object, is to be able to display and show them to others.
The Coronet Type large cent was minted from 1816 to 1857. The cent was redesigned in 1835 through 1839 by Christian Gobrecht. The design showed a slimmer Liberty Head surrounded by twelve stars on the obverse. The reverse has a the name United States of America surrounding a laurel wreath, which circles the word One Cent. There were minor changes up to 1843. The coins weight is 10.89 grams with a diameter of 27.5 mm and a plain edge. The composition is copper. All the coins were minted at the Philadelphia Mint. The design from 1839 to 1857 are referred to as, the Braided Hair Large Cent.
In 1943, to help with the war time requirements of copper, the U.S. cent was made out of steel and zinc coated. Through World War II, copper was needed for military equipment and ammunition. The design was the same Lincoln (wheat penny) by Victor D. Brenner, showing a portrait of Abraham Lincoln on the obverse and “One Cent” “United States of America” with two Wheat Ears on the reverse. The cent was made at three mints, Philadelphia , Denver and San Francisco.
The Flying Eagle Cent 1856-1858
The Flying Eagle cent that was first struck in 1856 was a pattern coin made to show to congress and some proof coins were struck to sell to collectors. An estimate of about 2,000 coins were struck for the year 1856, there were 17,450,000 Flying Eagles minted in 1857 and 24,600,000 in 1858.
The Flying Eagle Cent 1856-1858