The Flying Eagle Cent or Penny was minted from 1856 to 1858. The Flying Eagle Penny was designed by James Longacre and was the first small-sized cent produced in the United States. The coin features an eagle in flight on the obverse. The reverse features the inscription "ONE CENT" surrounded by a wreath, similar to that of the Indian Head Cent.
Less than 2000 of the coins were minted in 1856, they were used mainly to show politicians what the coins would look like. All these "test" coins were supposed to be returned to the mint but as often happens with rare american coins, a few managed to escape destruction. In turn, any surviving 1856 Flying Eagle Pennies are extremely valuable.
The Flying Eagle Cent was short lived for a couple reasons. For one, the wear points were in the same area on each side of the coin, creating a weak coin. Second, Longacre was unable to carve the dies for minting properly as he was a painter by trade and not a sculptor.
