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1857 Flying Eagle cent value guide -- the first true circulation year, mintage, and grade-by-grade prices.
Condition drives the price — full breakdown below.
First year the Flying Eagle cent was struck in large quantity for general circulation, following the Act of February 21, 1857, which formally authorized the small-diameter cent and ended the large copper cent.
New 1857 cents were distributed to the public through a special exchange booth set up in the Philadelphia Mint yard, packaged in $5 face-value cloth bags, as part of a campaign to redeem old large cents.
Live listings matching the 1857 Flying Eagle Cent
Other dates and varieties in this series
What to check before you pay, specific to this date and its 17,450,000-coin mintage.
The same date runs from about $38 worn to $1,295 at the top of the scale — a 34× spread. Nearly all of that gap is condition, not the date on the coin, so work out where an example sits on the table above before deciding whether its asking price is fair.
A PCGS or NGC holder settles authenticity and grade in one go, which is most of what you're actually paying for at this level. The premium it adds is small next to the cost of being wrong about either.
Every Flying Eagle Cent listed here is priced by an individual seller, so the same coin in the same grade can differ by a wide margin on any given day. Sort by price, check Metal Points and order history for a sense of the seller's record, and message them if the photos don't show enough to grade confidently.
About the 1857 Flying Eagle Cent
Value depends heavily on condition. A well-worn example brings closer to $38, while an uncirculated one can reach $1,295 or more.
First year the Flying Eagle cent was struck in large quantity for general circulation, following the Act of February 21, 1857, which formally authorized the small-diameter cent and ended the large copper cent.
For anything you believe is a key date or an error, professional grading protects both buyer and seller by settling condition and authenticity before money changes hands.
The rest of the series, with what each is worth at the top of the grade scale.
List it free on PeerMetals — flat 2.75% seller fee, zero listing fees, 1–3 day payouts.
