An 1856 Flying Eagle, my big FUN purchase
BillJones
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I've been working on a date set of cents from 1793 to date. I'm down to nine large cents.
I have an 1856 large cent which is quite nice, so technically I didn't need an 1856 Flying Eagle, but I had been thinking about one for a while. I like Proof type coins, and all Proof Flying Eagle Cents are scarce and expensive. So I thought about getting ann 1856 for the date and the type.
I spotted this one, with lots of flash at the FUN. After some extended negociations, I bought it. Still prices are strong these days for nice material. This was not cheep. This is graded PR-64, "Eagle eye."
Here is the 1856 large cent which is in my collection. This is graded MS-65, R&B
Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
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Comments
Wow, I've always wanted a 56 flying eagle. Nice!
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Yes, I've always wanted one of these too !
That's a beauty !
Stunning! What a fantastic acquisition. I’ve always admired the ‘56 FE.
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@BillJones, absolutely one beautiful ‘56 FEC. That’s a coin most anyone would want in their collection. Proof 63 through 65 can be expensive and challenging. Congrats on your acquisition. Zack. And the LC is no slouch either!
Don’t want to hijack your post, just wanted to show the ‘56 I was able to purchase 2 years ago and is the centerpiece of my small cent collection. Congrats again!
Fabulous addition an amazing set I'm sure.
Great coin Bill. The '56 Flyer is a great coin, and yours looks like a stunner!
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Way cool 😎
Good job @BillJones !! It has an attractive look to it. The large cent is also very nice.
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Beautiful!
Both coins are very nice, but the 1856 Flyer is always a special coin! Congratulations on acquiring it!
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Congratulations, Bill. That one appears to have more eye appeal than many others (including higher grade examples) that I’ve seen.
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Congrats a stunner of a coin!!!
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Amazing addition! Hope to get one eventually.
Very nice…
Outstanding coin! Congrats
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Agree with all! Like most, an 1856 Flying Eagle has always been on my radar.
Congratulations, your Mission Accomplished!
The sun sets on a great FUN acquisition:
It would look a lot better in a nice brown.
Solid looking 1856 Flyer Bill. I think I fell in love with these coins as a kid, looking through my 1972 Redbook. Only took me....ah......50 years to actually acquire one. They are great coins.....I'd imagine the demand for these remains strong. Congrats on a great coin!
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Congratulations. Fabulous 1856's! Never owned an 1856 Flying Eagle. That one is a show stopper.
Beautiful flyer, congrats.
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That is one coin that I have never owned.
It’s the first one I have owned. I’ve looked at a fair number of them over the years. I learned that you needed to watch your step no matter the assigned grade. A missed mark on a darkly toned piece could leave you buried. This one is natural white.
nice pick up !
I was able to ogle it in hand at the show when Bill handed it to me for a look see. Incredible flash and nary a flaw that I could see under the lens. Complete stunner. Congrats!
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A great coin. Well done
Congrats Bill. Beautiful example. Wowww!
Dave
Very nice Bill!!
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Very appealing example. Wow! Congrats on the pickup Bill!
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Held it in hand. Per my show report the deal didn’t end up happening but glad you got her @BillJones
That is a great addition to your collection. 1856 is unusual in that there are many more proofs out there than mint state examples. The key here is that your coin has the Eagle Eye sticker. In my view, for Flying Eagle and Indian Cents, Rick Snow's sticker is much more important than any other. My example for the type is only about 20% the value of yours. It is a 1857 MS65 in an old PCGS 3.1 holder with both CAC and Eagle Eye stickers that I purchased directly from Snow.
What are the 9 large cent dates that you need? If that is all that is missing, then you certainly have an impressive collection already.
johnny010 posted a couple of proofs that look like different colors, but i thought the alloy used was barely reactive thus pcgs not giving RD/RB/BN designations
i'm wondering about the term "darkly toned"
Well done.
These coins were bright white when they were made, like the modern nickel. Over the years they can tone to various colors. Some of them can be very dark. There is no "red," "R&B" and "Brown" for these coins because they were never red in the first place. Alought they are mostly copper, like the modern nickel, their natural color is while. Back in the day, they were called "thick, white cents." Later, in 1864, the composition was changed to bronze and the weight was reduced.
Here are a couple of examples.
Graded MS-65. This one is mostly white.
Graded MS-64. This one has a golden tone.
Original color of a copper-nickel cent.
I am ogling the OP's 1856 FE from the cheap seats, along with everyone else's examples as well. Thanks for posting - she's a beauty!
Great 1856! I got a chance to see this at Ricks booth before you were able to snag it. It looks great, it was a very nice pickup!
Since others have shared theirs, here is mine....
Thanks for you spreading your wisdom
Well done, Bill! So nice!
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