1857 flying eagle

Of the years the flying eagle cent was produced, were any of them notorious for weak strikes?

 

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the whole series has weak strikes, which is why the series only last 2 years (3 if you count 1856).

 

Interesting. I have an 1857 with great luster. At first glance, the reverse looks worn but a closer look reveals what I was thinking of as a weak strike. Eventually I will post a pic when I figure this forum out a little better. The coin is pitted on top of the obverse over the words 'states of'. I guess that would be a planchet defection? Either way the luster does appear to be mint luster and not man made. Overall it is a very nice coin that I would like to get graded. Thanks for you input.

 

In my opinion the 57 was the worst but because of the number minted and it was really the first year of full production. The small cent was big learning thing for the mint.

 

still a sexy cent !

 

My thoughts are grease filled die or thin planchet @ 11 O'Clock.

They were working out problems with evenly cutting a new size planchet as well as the proper pressures for minting them.

What does the bottom of the reverse look like? If it's also weak, then I'd go with thin planchet or axial misalignment. If strong, then grease on the obverse die. I suspect the latter due to the strength of the (E)S.

 

FWIW, I agree with grease filled dies assessment, Marshall.

Here's the example from my type set. A fairly well struck example, particularly the obverse.




Here is the coin it replaced. Note the weaker strike, more typical of the series:




IMO, this series is not known for its strong strikes. You can find them occasionally, but it will take some searching and lots of patience.

 

It is hard to find a Flying Eagle Cent with full tail feathers and when you do, a nice premium is usually added to the price tag. I've seen many pieces with partial mottos like Larry's posted above, and I agree it is most likely due to grease filled dies. So that's a big reason why a pristine, fully struck, lustrous Flying Eagle brings huge prices.

Here's my 1857 - as you can see, it has a really cool rim clip



Here's my 1858 Large Letters - even though this is a beautiful piece, the tail feathers are not as crisp as I would have liked, but I bought this one for my personal collection because it has a really neat die break from about 2:00 under the motto that goes all the way down to the date.



And this 1858 Small Letters is just plain gorgeous and flashy!

 

That Eagle is about the prettiest one I've seen. I did notice that both the current and replaced cent have what looks to be a die scratch between the two top points of the wreath. Is this known to be imparted from a hub?

 

Interesting observation. I have no idea.

 

Here is one of my 1857 Flying Eagles. It looks like it might have some sort of planchet defect.

 

Finally here is my FEC I originally posted about. It has great luster but is it MINT luster or has it been cleaned in ya'lls opinion? Also, see the planchet problem? Does this kind of problem take away from the value of this coin? The obverse appears to be worn but also appears to be a weak strike? Then on the reverse it appears also to be worn but is it? Or is it also a weak strike? Thanks for any info ya'll can give me.

 

I just saw this one on eBay

 

WOW. It is very close to mine in regards to strike. Can you post the reverse pic?

 

I'm thinking cleaned. Not sure what's going on with the obverse but it will hurt the value.

 

1857 reverse on eBay

 

I wish my Flying Eagle looked as good as all of these.lol

 

I wanted one with a full (or nearly full) strike but the MS coins were out of my reach; so I did the ol' AU58 end-around--

 

All of your Flying Eagles are sensational! As far as your question about whether your cent has been cleaned, I tend to go towards cleaned. The reason being that it is exceptionally bright and shiny, like it was made yesterday. Usually copper coins then to mellow as they age. That is just my opinion and I am no expert when it comes to cleaned coins by far.

 

Great coin. I had one like that. Its gone...