Just Pick Up An 1856 Flying Eagle Cent For $22

Oh well , at least you didn't lose a ton of money .

The pic of the FE of this thread and a PCGS 1856 regular strike as an overlay is included below.

You will note the eagles are in a different position. When I align the eagles together, it pulls the top denticles down into the design.

Note I think the original picture for this thread is at a very slight angle, but I do not believe it would account for this much misalignment (?).

I also included pics of each with some diagnostic lines drawn and pointing showing gaps vs. no gaps. based only on the provided picture, I don't believe these can be the same die.

Edited to add:
How to use diagnostic lines:

Note there are three lines on each coin.

Find the end of each line that is aligned on a straight side of a letter (AMERICA, UNITED, and STATES - see pics).

See how corresponding lines in each coin start the same place, but end at a different location -- indicating different dies.

Example: On the OP's coin, look at the line running along the side of the A in AMERICA. Note it terminates on the I in UNITED.

The same line on the PCGS coin terminates on the you in United.

The other two diagnostic lines also show major differences in the layout of the OBV design.


A parallel to the beginning A (in AMERICA) has its terminus in a much different location than its corresponding line on the other coin. On the OP's coin the terminus is through the letter I on the other side. On the PCGS coin, this same line's terminus is through the you on the other side.






I know the "E line" in red looks misaligned with the letter's spine. However, I zoomed in after drawing the line and positioned it directly along the E's spine.

Nice comparisons, Earle42!