1858 Flying Eagle Cent : Small Letters

What This Coin Looks Like (Obverse, Reverse, Mint Mark Location, Special Features, etc.):

The coin in the image above is an 1858 "small letters" variety.

There were two major varieties of the 1858 Flying Eagle Cent (Penny). One variety had small letters while the other had larger letters on the obverse of the coin regarding the words "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA". The best way to indentify the variety is to notice that the "small letters" variety has a large space between the first two letters "A" and "M" in the word America. The large letters variety has almost no space and the two letters are almost touching. This is depicted in the example image below of the 1858 small letters vs large letters flying eagle cent:

Coin Value Chart: Typical Coin Prices, Values and Worth in USD based on Grade/Condition. Numismatic portion of the values last updated February 2026, precious metal portion of the values is updated live!

Good (G-4)	Very Good (VG-8)	Fine (F-12)	Very Fine (VF-20)	Extremely Fine (EF-40)	About Uncirculated (AU-50)	Uncirculated (MS-60)	Uncirculated (MS-63)	Proof (PR-63)
$38	$56	$69	$81	$194	$330	$721	$1,445	$10,016

USA Coin Book Estimated Value of 1858 Flying Eagle Penny (Small Letters Variety) is Worth $56 in Average Condition and can be Worth $721 to $1,445 or more in Uncirculated (MS+) Mint Condition. Proof Coins can be Worth $10,016 or more. Click here to Learn How to use Coin Price Charts. Also, click here to Learn About Grading Coins. The Melt Value shown below is how Valuable the Coin's Metal is Worth (bare minimum value of coin). Click here to see the Melt Value of every US Coin.


MELT VALUE: $0.0681