1856 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1856

The Mint made pattern Flying Eagle cents dated 1856 to test a smaller copper-nickel cent. They were given to members of Congress and collectors, which helped launch coin collecting in the United States.

New this year: the Flying Eagle Cent.

How many coins were made in 1856

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 31,273,093 coins dated 1856 across 17 issues. That is 124% more than in 1855 (13,970,562). In 1857 the figure rose to 49,277,058.

By mint: Philadelphia 24,774,033 (79%, up from 9,913,598), New Orleans 5,906,000 (19%, up from 3,519,000), San Francisco 591,600 (1.9%, up from 526,350) and Dahlonega 1,460 (0.0%, down from 1,811).

Those coins held about 3,656,151 troy ounces of pure silver and 86,552 troy ounces of gold.

1856 coins by denomination

Cents: 2,691,097 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Braided Hair Large Cent and Flying Eagle Cent, up 71% on 1855. The scarcest is the 1856 (634) and the most plentiful the 1856 (2,690,463).

Dimes: 7,030,000 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Seated Liberty Dime, up 239% on 1855. The scarcest is the 1856-S (70,000) and the most plentiful the 1856 (5,780,000).

Quarters: 8,518,000 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Seated Liberty Quarter, up 148% on 1855. The scarcest is the 1856-S (286,000) and the most plentiful the 1856 (7,264,000).

Half Dollars: 3,807,000 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Seated Liberty Half Dollar, up 6.4% on 1855. The scarcest is the 1856-S (211,000) and the most plentiful the 1856-O (2,658,000).

Gold Coins: 1,788,996 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Gold Dollar, up 117% on 1855. The scarcest is the 1856-D (1,460) and the most plentiful the 1856 (1,762,936).

Odd Denominations: 7,438,000 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Three-Cent Silver and Seated Liberty Half Dime, up 199% on 1855. The scarcest is the 1856-O (1,100,000) and the most plentiful the 1856 (4,880,000).

Every 1856 circulation issue at a glance

• 1856 Flying Eagle Cent: 634 struck.
• 1856-D Gold Dollar: 1,460 struck, 2nd lowest of 75 in the series, similar to 1855.
• 1856-S Gold Dollar: 24,600 struck, more than 68% of the series' 75 issues, up from 14,632 in 1854.
• 1856-S Seated Liberty Dime: 70,000 struck, 21st lowest of 116 in the series.
• 1856-S Seated Liberty Half Dollar: 211,000 struck, 30th lowest of 116 in the series, up from 129,950 in 1855.
• 1856-S Seated Liberty Quarter: 286,000 struck, more than 55% of the series' 108 issues, down from 396,400 in 1855.
• 1856 Seated Liberty Half Dollar: 938,000 struck, more than 57% of the series' 116 issues, similar to 1855.
• 1856-O Seated Liberty Quarter: 968,000 struck, more than 78% of the series' 108 issues, up from 176,000 in 1855.
• 1856-O Seated Liberty Half Dime: 1,100,000 struck, more than 70% of the series' 70 issues, up from 600,000 in 1855.
• 1856-O Seated Liberty Dime: 1,180,000 struck, more than 58% of the series' 116 issues, down from 1,770,000 in 1854.
• 1856 Three-Cent Silver: 1,458,000 struck, more than 82% of the series' 23 issues, up from 139,000 in 1855.
• 1856 Gold Dollar: 1,762,936 struck, more than 96% of the series' 75 issues, up from 758,269 in 1855.

The 5 more plentiful issues are listed in the tables below.

Braided Hair Large Cent: Record output and the end of the large cent

The large cent peaked in 1851 with 9.9 million coined. That year includes the 1851/81 date error. Output stayed high through 1854, but copper prices kept rising. By the mid 1850s each cent cost close to its face value to make. The 1855 has upright and slanting 5 varieties plus a Knob on Ear die break. The 1856 comes with an upright or slanting 5.

Congress ended the large cent with the Act of February 21, 1857, which created the smaller copper-nickel cent. Only 333,456 large cents dated 1857 were coined, early in the year, in large date and small date styles. These later dates survive in larger numbers in uncirculated grades than earlier cents, many with original red and brown color. Proof mintages also increased in 1854 to 1857 as interest in collecting grew.

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Flying Eagle Cent: The first small cents

The Flying Eagle began as a pattern in 1856, when a small number were struck to show members of Congress the proposed copper-nickel cent. Many more were restruck for collectors in the following years. The Act of February 21, 1857 approved a 72 grain coin of 88 percent copper and 12 percent nickel. The public lined up at the Philadelphia Mint in May 1857 to exchange old large cents and Spanish silver for the new coins. Output was 17.45 million in 1857 and 24.6 million in 1858.

The hard alloy and high relief eagle caused trouble. Dies cracked quickly and many coins show weak eagle tail feathers and wreath leaves. The 1857 has clashed die varieties showing traces of other denominations. On 1858 large letters cents the A and M in AMERICA touch, while on small letters cents they are separated. A rare 1858/7 overdate also exists. Survivors are usually light tan to olive in color.

The 1856 Flying Eagle cents were made as patterns, an estimated 2,000 or so pieces including restrikes made for collectors in later years. They were never released for circulation, but because they are listed with the regular series the 1856 is the key to a set. The new cents were released on May 25, 1857, when crowds lined up at the Mint to exchange old large cents and Spanish silver. The 1858/7 overdate is a popular variety.

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Seated Liberty Quarter: Heavy output and Civil War hoarding

With the lighter standard in place, quarters circulated freely. Philadelphia struck about 7.3 million in 1856, 9.6 million in 1857 and 7.4 million in 1858. The 1856-S includes a large S over small S variety. New Orleans made its last quarters of the period in 1860 and did not strike them again until 1891.

Once banks suspended specie payments at the end of 1861, silver vanished from circulation in the East. Philadelphia output fell to 191,600 in 1863, 93,600 in 1864 and 58,800 in 1865, while San Francisco, where silver still passed at par, kept striking small runs. The 1864-S, at 20,000, is the key of the decade. From 1858 proofs were made each year in the hundreds. Several of the Civil War dates are easier to find as proofs than as business strikes.

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Seated Liberty Half Dollar: Peak branch output and the 1861-O

With the arrows gone, halves were struck in large numbers. New Orleans reached 7,294,000 in 1858. San Francisco's early halves, such as the 1856-S and 1857-S, are scarce in better grades. In 1861 New Orleans struck 2,532,633 halves under three authorities: the United States, the State of Louisiana and the Confederacy. Specialists use die markers to tell which authority struck a given coin. Four halves were also made with a Confederate reverse design.

During the Civil War silver disappeared from eastern circulation. Philadelphia mintages fell to between about 250,000 and 512,000 a year from 1862 to 1865. San Francisco, where coins still passed at face, struck more halves than Philadelphia in most of those years. Worn wartime Philadelphia halves are harder to find than their mintages suggest because many were melted later.

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Gold Dollar: Type 1 ends and the Indian Princess

In 1854 the gold dollar was made thinner and wider, about 15 mm, to make it easier to handle. Longacre's Type 2 design shows Liberty wearing a feathered headdress. Type 1 coins were still struck early in 1854 at Philadelphia and Dahlonega. San Francisco struck its first gold dollars that year, all of the Type 1 design.

Type 2 dollars struck poorly because the high relief of the headdress sat opposite the date. The central digits of the date are often weak. The type was made only in 1854 and 1855 plus the 1856-S. The 1855-C, 1855-D and 1855-O are prized branch mint issues, with the 1855-D the rarest at 1,811 struck. In 1856 Philadelphia switched to the larger head Type 3, which comes with slanted and upright 5 dates.

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Three-Cent Silver: Type 2 with a triple outline

In 1854 the coin was raised to 90 percent silver and lightened to 0.75 grams, bringing it into line with other silver coins. Longacre added three outlines around the star and placed an olive sprig above and a bundle of arrows below the III on the reverse.

Type 2 coins are notoriously hard to strike well. Many show weak or missing details on the star and shield. Output dropped to 671,000 in 1854 and only 139,000 in 1855, the scarcest Type 2 date. Mintages recovered to over a million a year from 1856 to 1858. Proofs were made regularly from 1858, though they are rare for that year. A sharply struck Type 2 coin is the hardest of the three types to find.

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Seated Liberty Dime: Arrows removed and San Francisco begins

The arrows came off the dies in 1856, but the lighter 2.49 gram weight stayed. Philadelphia struck 5,780,000 dimes that year, in Large Date and Small Date versions. It added 5,580,000 in 1857. New Orleans kept a steady pace with 1,180,000 and 1,540,000. Demand was boosted by the Act of February 21, 1857, which ended the legal tender status of Spanish and Mexican silver. The old reales and half reales had served as small change for decades and American dimes now had to take their place. The same law ended the large copper cent and the half cent.

The San Francisco Mint struck its first dimes in 1856, only 70,000 pieces. It made none in 1857, then 60,000 in 1858 and 60,000 again in 1859. All three S dates are keys, because the coins circulated hard in the gold country and few were saved. Philadelphia output also fell sharply, to 1,540,000 in 1858 and just 430,000 in 1859. New Orleans struck 290,000 and 480,000 in those two years.

Proof mintages reached 800 in 1859, far more than in earlier years, as collecting grew. When you find a dime of 1856 to 1859, check the reverse near the bow of the wreath for an S mint mark. A worn S coin is worth far more than a well preserved Philadelphia piece of the same year.

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Seated Liberty Half Dime: Arrows removed and big Philadelphia runs

The arrows came off in 1856, though the 1.24 gram weight stayed. Philadelphia struck 4,880,000 half dimes that year and 7,280,000 in 1857, while New Orleans made 1,100,000 and 1,380,000. Spanish and Mexican silver lost its legal tender status in 1857, which raised demand for American small change. New Orleans struck more than a million half dimes in each of 1856, 1857 and 1858. That same law replaced the large copper cent with the small Flying Eagle cent.

Philadelphia's 1858 total of 3,500,000 includes a well known error, the date over inverted date. The date was first punched upside down and then corrected. Traces of the inverted digits can be seen around the date. New Orleans struck 1,660,000 in 1858. Output then dropped in 1859, to 340,000 at Philadelphia and 560,000 at New Orleans. Philadelphia's 7,280,000 coins of 1857 are the second largest half dime mintage, behind only the arrows coins of 1853.

Proofs were made in quantity from 1859, when 800 were struck. For collectors these years are an easy way to add Seated half dimes with the stars obverse, since most dates are common. Check the 1858 date with a strong glass for the inverted traces. On any coin of the period, look for the O mint mark on the reverse and judge the wear on Liberty's knee and the shield.

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