1853 Flying Eagle Cent?

Hello everyone. This is my first post here but I have a feeling there'll be many more. I have no experience at all with coin collecting but I'm cleaning out my father's house and, apparently, my grandmother was a bit of a collector. I'm just starting to sort through the many jars and sacks of old and really interesting coins she stored away long ago. I've just been taking a few coins at a time and Googling them to get a rough idea of what the heck is a half-dime, for example, or a three-cent-nickel, or a war-token coin; fascinating...

Anyway, today's question is about a coin I just found that I can't seem to identify by Googling. I'm sure someone here will be able to quickly solve my mystery. From the flying eagle on one side and the words "one cent" on the other it seems obvious that it's a "flying eagle cent". My problem though is that, from all I can find these were only made from 1856 to 1858. The one I have seems to clearly be dated 1853. Can someone help me figure out what this coin is? I'm sure it's probably something common that I just don't know how to look up.
I don't have a great macro-camera but I took a photo of the date through my loupe and photos of each side with my phone.
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
John

 

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Yes you are correct it seems to be a very old counterfeit I like it.

 

Hello and Welcome to Coin Talk ! That's odd to say the least . .

 

It's a damaged 8.

 

Either a counterfeit or 1858 has been altered to look like 1853.

 

That makes scents

 

Thats what I thought but if you look the top half is smaller than the bottom it can't be an 8 thats definitely a 3 or at least what I see.

 

What ever it is I like it.

 

It looks like a gouge where part of the '8' has been removed. Its has a pronounced horizontal line at the top of the gouge.

 

Compare it to that 8 on an 1858. Photoshop-out that missing area and you got this, an 1853.

 

I get now(mental brain breakdown)being on CT and at school doing work doest mixI gotta get back.

 

The old cent does appear to be very skillfully manipulated. I will offer this though.... Copper is a very soft metal and I have seen all sorts of very unusual aberrations posted here that were simply the result of the copper coin being being struck by something over the course of its life.

 

Give it everything you got and it will pay off one day. Listen to me. I got horse sense.

 

You can see where the 8 was either damaged or altered.

 

Fascinating coin! Good job of altering an 1858 to make 1853.

 

Just think, if it really was an 1853!

 

The look of the first 8 is very similar to the look of the 3. It was an 8 that was altered to look like a 3. You can even see a stem on the top left of the 3 facing to the right. It even appears to be the large letter variety.

Welcome to CT.

 

The font used in the 19th century most of the time had the top of an 8 smaller than the bottom.

 

So do I!

 

Oh well, good conversation piece. Seal it, keep it, show it. It is a interesting fake, thanks for sharing.