Lot 1346
1856 Flying Eagle Cent. PCGS graded Proof 61. Well struck and evenly toned a medium reddish-brown. Only 2000 struck. The key date in the small cent series. In typical bureaucratic fashion, the government's sudden approval of a statute to alter the amalgam of the Cent in 1856 left Mint Director Snowden pleading for a design to begin trial strikings without delay. The task of achieving a satisfactory product in this regard fell to James Barton Longacre the chief engraver. For the obverse, Longacre selected a variant of the flying eagle that appears on the reverse of the 1836-9 Gobrecht Pattern Dollars. Although nearly two decades old, this eagle had a certain style and force about it; a slightly modified form of a flying eagle had appeared on several Pattern Cents of 1854-5. The reverse got a copy of Longacre's tried-and-true wreath of corn, cotton, maple, and tobacco. This too had already appeared on the Gold Dollar and $3 Gold pieces as well as several Pattern coins. Despite the short production run of his design, the rarity and allure of 1856 Proof Flying Eagle strikings insures that it will remain forever a part of the collecting lore and popularity (PCGS # 2037) .
Estimated Value $10,000 - 11,000.
The Estate of Winthrop A. Haviland, Jr.
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| Realized $11,788 |
