Was this coin (Flying Eagle) the final hurrah of the Large Cent?

In 1850, the mint started experimenting with replacing the Large cent with a smaller version to reduce costs and lighten the pockets of our ancestors. After several years and different patterns, the flying eagle small cent was chosen. My coin I just purchased is an 1855 Flying Eagle. This coin was the last of the large cent patterns of the large size cent. I haven't got it in hand yet so looking for your input. This coin has problems but was within my budget for this month.

 

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We have some bad news for you. Unless this a pattern, the first minting of FEs was 1856, all proofs. 1857 they started minting business strikes, ending in 1858. Looks kind of suspect to me. Where did you obtain it if you don't mind?

 

1855 did have flying eagle patterns with that design. I'm on a small screen and can't see it that well but it looks okay at first glance

 

That may be why he said "This coin was the last of the large cent patterns of the large size cent."

 

Yes, this is a pattern from 1855.

 

Makes a great extension to a large cent set.

 

As far as I know, the "the last of the large cent patterns of the large size cent" were Judd-610 and Judd-611, dated 1868.

 

That was actually a fantasy piece someone of the mint created for sale. It used the obverse of an 1868 pattern dime paired with a left over large cent reverse.

 

From that period of the mint history the difference between a fantasy piece and pattern eludes me. A large number of pieces would fit the definition of something "someone of the mint created for sale," including, perhaps most famously, the type II and III 1804 dollars.

I do know that the both the 10-cent and 1-cent 1868 braided hair coins are collected as patterns, and at least PCGS classifies the 10-cent pieces as "Large Cent Obverse Patterns."

http://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistry/setcomposition.aspx?c=1153

 

The Fly-in Club website has archives of their journal "Longacre's Ledger". There are articles in several of the issues about Flying Eagle Pattern cents. Here is one on page 22 that might be of interest to you: http://www.fly-inclub.org/files/ll_vol_192_issue_76.pdf
Richard Snow's "Flying Eagle and Indian Cent Attribution Guide" Third Edition also has a section on these cents.

There is also an interesting story about how this coin may have been minted in the first edition of Longacre's Ledger on page 6: http://www.fly-inclub.org/files/ll_vol_1-1.pdf

 

This is J-647, the Ten Cents Pattern in copper nickel dated 1868:

 

This coin was sold as an 1855 Judd J-168 struck in Bronze. 95% copper, 4% tin and 1% zinc. According to Judd, it is virtually impossible to distinguish the compositions without elemental analysis. Judd also states that the mint may have originally stuck examples in bronze, most if not all could be restrikes.

 

I don't really know much about patterns.

Wouldn't it have been more well struck if it was a pattern? There is considerable weakness on the obverse that I wouldn't have expected.

 

Well is is graded as a Fair-2. That might account for the weakness.

 

Haha, of course for that one.

I was referring to the one in the OP - which is considerably higher grade if genuine, but is also quite weakly struck.

 

I haven't received the coin yet but it was sold as a details coin. It appears to have spent some time in the ground or in horrible storage conditions.

 

That is a legitimate pattern. Here is a link to my website. http://www.rick-kay-rare-coins.com/LFEs.html Most likely, it is a bronze J-168. This is a true transitional pattern, whose purpose was to determine a good alloy for a smaller cent to replace the old large cent. If you have any questions, email me at kayfamily1854@gmail.com, as I do not visit this board often. Rick

 

Thanks Rick. I received the coin in the mail and it looks better than the photos. There is some slight corrosion most likely from poor storage conditions. Now I need to determine if it is an authentic pattern. Are there many counterfeit LFE around? My first impression is authentic.

 

I've only seen one counterfeit. I own it. It is an electrotype. I was just at the ANA show yesterday and someone I was speaking with said he has one too. I'm working on him now. From the little I can see, it seems genuine. Is there a diagonal die chip between the N and I in United?