1856 Flying Eagle Cent. Snow-3. Repunched 5, High Leaves. Proof-8 (PCGS).

Sandy-tan surfaces with blushes of light rose-gray on the obverse. Both sides retain bold outline detail to all major design elements. The more protected areas show some sharper definition, in fact, and the diagnostics of the Snow number are clear. 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. Longacre's 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 any 1856 Flying Eagle cent in one's collection announces that a major milestone has been accomplished, and this die pairing enjoys a particularly strong following due to its historical significance.

PCGS# 2037. NGC ID: 227A.

From the Uncle Daddy Warbucks Collection.