Flying Eagle Cent
1856 - 1858
The collecting of small cents is second in popularity only to the Morgan Dollar. The first small cent was the 
Flying Eagle Cent which was minted for a very short time from 1856 to 1858. A second restrike of the coin was made in 1860, but those are questionable among collectors.
By 1851 it cost the mint $1.06 to produce one dollar’s face value, 100 coins, of the large cent. Large Cents of the time were composed of 100% pure copper and were a huge 27 to 29 mm in diameter. Although the first Flying Eagle Cent was minted in 1856 it wasn’t until 1857 that it was recognized officially as the replacement for the Large Cent. All the way up into 1857 both varieties were minted. Read more
Indian Head Cent
1859 - 1909
The Indian Head Cent was designed by James Barton Longacre and minted from 1859 through 1909. They 
were produced at the Philadelphia Mint for the duration and by the San Francisco Mint in 1908 and 1909.
The obverse of this coin features Lady Liberty wearing a feathered bonnet. Though this coin is commonly called the Indian Head Cent, or the Indian Head Penny, it is not a Native American that appears on the obverse. It has the words, “United States of America” along with the date around the rim and the word “Liberty” on the headband. Read more