1856 1C Flying Eagle MS66 Certification #81467176, PCGS #2013

1856 1C MS66 PCGS CAC EEPS, Snow-3 Die Variety, Die Stage A. Provenance: Ex Stewart Blay Collection. Esteemed by the legendary collector Stewart Blay as the finest Mint State 1856 Flying Eagle, this exceptional coin boasts remarkable eye appeal, a beauty that is absolutely stunning in person (uploaded photos at least begin to demonstrate that eye appeal, though it's not clear from the cert photo). It represents a pinnacle of quality, being one of only two Snow-3 examples graded MS66 by PCGS (a third MS66 is actually a Snow-5, and Flying Eagle expert Rick Snow has determined all Snow-5s are actually Proofs). This significant coin set a record auction price of $343,125 in November 2023 (Great Collections - Nov 12, 2023 - GC Item ID: 1456023), the highest ever achieved for any 1856 Flying Eagle cent, and in fact the highest for any Flying Eagle cent. The Snow-3 die variety, along with the Snow-1, belongs to the "Original Striking" of 1856 Flying Eagles (Snow-5s may also have been part of the Original striking). These Original coins were strategically presented to key figures in the U.S. government to advocate for the passage of the Small Cents Act of 1857. Following the striking of rare Snow-1 Proofs and then the unique "Bluebird" Proof Snow-3 (also Die Stage A), Mint State Snow-3s, including this Die Stage A example, were produced. All known Snow-3 coins (apart from the "Bluebird") exhibit some weakness of strike, typically noticeable on the eagle's breast feathers or the reverse leaves. This coin exhibits some weakness on the breast feathers, which is especially noticeable when comparing its cert with the cert of the “Bluebird” (cert #38725098). Die Stage A coins, identified by diagonal die lines through UNITED, have Proof-like medium mirrors, so someone not paying attention to the weakness of strike could misattribute this coin as a Proof.

Jaime Hernandez