Small Cents

The small cents were originally made due to rising prices in copper, as well as the cost to make and distribute the Large cents. The first design of the small cents was the Flying Eagle. This beautiful coin was only minted for a short life of 3 years, from 1856 until 1858. The first year of production for this type is a tough coin to come by and only 2000 were minted. The following two years are somewhat common and can be bought at an affordable price. The Indian Head Cent was the next design to be put on the United States penny. This coin was produced from 1859 until 1909. The composition and design of the IHC was changed a couple of times throughout it's lifespan. The Lincoln wheat pennies where the next design to be minted. They pictured the profile of Lincoln on the obverse. This was the first time that the depiction of a person who had lived had been on a United States Coin. The Lincoln Wheat back pennies were produced from 1909 until 1958, when the reverse changed to a depiction of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. In 2009 the Lincoln penny was again changed to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth.