I finally got a legendary Flying Eagle cent! I have wanted to have one of these in my hands when I was just an early collector.  It is an 1857 specimen and is classified as genuine. I was so pleased to get this as this was on my bucket list to get at the local PAN show.  I still want to tell you the history, so I'll start now.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 The Flying Eagle cent was first minted in 1856 while only 634 were actually minted making them extremely rare.  This coin came into existence after large unpopularity with the large cents. Several businesses and banks would not accept the coin as legal tender as the only excepted coins were gold and silver coins. And it cost the mint $1.06 for every dollar worth of large cents. This led to the creation of the small cent that we know.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       What I don't understand is why we still have pennies now if it cost $2  for every dollar worth of pennies. Maybe a future blog later :) Thanks to PCGS for the information.                                           

                So I saw that some people were a little upset that I left because I couldn't take pictures.  So with this blog, I am not going to use pictures( also because my camera STINKS).                 These coins are brand new, but sadly will only be allowed to be made in small quantities and reserved for collectors. They will honor an achievement made by a state or by a territory.  Innovation dollars will also be of the same material as the Native American dollars.  The obverse displays Lady Liberty and "IN GOD WE TRUST".  The series should continue until 2032. I only have the Delaware-P and D as well as the Pennslyvania-P and D coins. They were given to me by my grandfather who collects British coins.                 The next blog I will do is about Morgan dollars.

In 1912, James Fraser designed the Buffalo Nickel. He designed both the obverse and the reverse. These coins were first struck on February 22, 1913, but they weren't put into circulation until March 4th, 1913. Proof coins were made from 1913 to 1917 for collectors. They were in circulation from 1913 to 1938 and were minted in Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco. Ultimately, it was replaced by the Jefferson Nickel.  There are 2 varieties which are straight ground and the other is a little mound on which the buffalo stands. The Buffalo Nickel is 75% nickel and 25% copper. It is a really interesting coin and is not particularly expensive. The name of the buffalo on the reverse was Black Diamond and he lived in the Central Park Zoo.  The Native American on the obverse is a combination of three Native Americans. ( Thanks Mike). In my collection, I have a 1930 S, 1935 D, 1936, and a 1937 D nickel. They minted approximately 1,212,995,919 through the 25 years it was around. There are about 64 different types of coins from mintmarks, dates, and major varieties. 

 Barber dimes are very rare and are all silver. They were only made as dimes, quarters, and half dollars. They minted from 4 mints, New Orleans, Denver, San Fransico, and Phildeaplgh. The 1894 dime is the most expensive at around 2 million dollars. Proof versions from the San Fransico mint are very expensive at around $500 on average. The coin in the picture is a 1902 O version which had 4,500,000 minted.