# Fly-In Club: Collectors of Indian and Flying Eagle Cents - Collectible US Coins > The Fly-In Club is a group of coin collectors who love Flying Eagle Cents, Indian Cents, and in general Longacre designed collectible United States coins. > The Fly-In Club meets periodically in person at coin shows around the country. Check the site for more information. Join up to get Longacre's Ledger, our periodical. ## Pages - [Contact the Fly-In Club](https://flyinclub.org/contact-the-fly-in-club/): Contact the Fly-In Club Fly-In ClubP. O. Box 559Sandwich, IL 60548info@flyinclub. com - [About Our Coins](https://flyinclub.org/about-our-coins/): About Our Coins By the 1850’s the cost of producing the familiar “Large Cent” was approaching just that—one cent. In... - [About Indian Cents](https://flyinclub.org/about-indian-cents/): About Indian Cents aka (Indian Head Cents, or IHCs) By 1858 the Mint staff felt the Flying Eagle design caused... - [About Flying Eagle Cents](https://flyinclub.org/about-flying-eagle-cents/): About Flying Eagle Cents aka FECs When the United States Mint was created in Philadelphia in 1792, Congress decreed that... - [Join the Club / Renew Your Membership](https://flyinclub.org/join-the-club-renew-your-membership/): Join the Fly-In Club or Renew Your Membership As a Fly-In Club member, you will be entitled to three issues... - [About Our Club](https://flyinclub.org/about-flying-eagle-indian-cent-coin-club/): The Flying Eagle & Indian Cent Club The Flying Eagle and Indian Cent Society (“The Fly-In Club”) was formed in... - [Fly-In Club Home](https://flyinclub.org/): The Fly-In Club: The online home of Flying Eagle cent and Indian cent coin collectors numismatics club. We celebrate James Longacre designs. - [Sample Page](https://flyinclub.org/sample-page/): This is an example page. It’s different from a blog post because it will stay in one place and will... ## Posts - [Featured Indian Cent: 1877 Indian Cent - Altered or Genuine Coin](https://flyinclub.org/discussion-1877-indian-cent-key-date-coin/): I pulled my 1877 Indian Cents for high end photography and characterization, and the following is a summary Business Strikes vs. Proof Issues. - [A Discussion of an 1866 Shield Nickel Error - A Very Collectible Coin](https://flyinclub.org/a-discussion-of-1866-shield-nickel-metal-fatique-cud/): We have all heard the term “metal fatigue”, but few have any idea what it means Let’s have a look at this Longacre design 1866 Shield Nickel. - [A Discussion of No Date Partial Brockage Error Indian Cent - Collectible Coin](https://flyinclub.org/a-discussion-of-no-date-partial-brockage-error-indian-cent-collectible-coin/): How was this Brockage Error No Date Indian Cent made? Just immediately prior to this normal planchet being fed into the striking chamber... - [A Discussion of the 1862 Indian Cent Starburst Error Coin](https://flyinclub.org/1862-indian-cent-starburst-error-coin-pcgs-ms67-ex-simpson/): Featured Indian Cent A Discussion of the 1862 Indian Cent Starburst Error Coin This 1862 Indian Cent represents one of... - [Next Meeting](https://flyinclub.org/next-meeting-3/): Next Meeting: ANA Oklahoma City, August 22nd, 2025 (Updated) Summer ANA Show in Oklahoma City on August 22nd, 2025. Time... - [Last Meeting Recap](https://flyinclub.org/fun-recap/): Last Meeting: FUN, Jan 10th 2025 The Fly-In Club held a meeting at the annual FUN Show in Orlando, Florida.... - [Next Meeting](https://flyinclub.org/next-meeting/): Next Meeting: FUN, Jan 10th 2025 Next Meeting. The next club meeting will be held at the FUN Convention at... - [A Discussion of Cuds on 1857 Flying Eagle Cents](https://flyinclub.org/a-discussion-of-cuds-on-1857-flying-eagle-cents/): Featured Coin A Discussion of Cuds on 1857 Flying Eagle Cents By 1858 the Mint staff felt the Flying Eagle... - [A Discussion of 1864-L Indian Cents Struck in Copper-nickel](https://flyinclub.org/discussion-1864-l-indian-cents-copper-nickel/): Featured Coin A Discussion of 1864-L Indian Cents Struck in Copper-nickel All 1864-L Indian Cents are struck in bronze with... # # Detailed Content ## Pages Contact the Fly-In Club Your name Your email Subject Your message (optional) Enter code: Fly-In ClubP. O. Box 559Sandwich, IL 60548info@flyinclub. com About Our Coins By the 1850’s the cost of producing the familiar “Large Cent” was approaching just that—one cent. In addition, the Large Cent saw very limited circulation due to its unpopular bulky size. In order for the Mint to run profitably Congress passed the Act of February 21, 1857, allowing for a modified cent, lower in weight and less costly. Flying Eagle Cents Learn more about Flying Eagle Cents... Indian Cents Learn more about Indian Cents... Designed by Chief Engraver James B. Longacre the first “Small Cent” depicted a beautiful Flying Eagle. The first issues were dated 1856 and examples known as “patterns” of this new cent were distributed to members of Congress. These first 1856 Small Cents are highly prized and represent the key to the Small Cent series. Read more about Flying Eagle Cents, and review our grading guide. In 1859 the Flying Eagle design was replaced by the Indian Cent obverse, also designed by Longacre. During 1864 the composition and weight of the small cent was changed to the familiar “bronze” type. Billions of this popular coin were minted until it was replaced by the Lincoln Cent in 1909. It remains one of the most popular series in all of numismatics. Read more about Indian Cents, and review our grading guide. If you would enjoy learning more about the Flying Eagle, Indian Cent and other James B Longacre designs, as well as the history of their times please consider joining the Fly-In Club. About Indian Cents aka (Indian Head Cents, or IHCs) By 1858 the Mint staff felt the Flying Eagle design caused production difficulties as die life was very low compared to the previous Large Cent. Die life is one of the most important factors in running a high-production minting operation. An example of an 1877 (key date) Indian Cent. Almost / About Uncirculated 50. This was a result a result of metallurgical fatigue failure or cracking resulting in die breakage (known to collectors as “cuds”). Most of the die breakage occurred on the reverse dies. The reverse die for Flying Eagle cents was the hammer die, and was more susceptible to metal fatigue. Some examples of die breaks on the reverse side of Flying Eagles are shown here. However the true cause of premature die life was the introduction of nickel into a copper-based alloy, increasing the hardness of the composition. In addition, data suggests the Mint did not anneal the cent planchets prior to striking. Annealing is a softening operation and is commonly used in planchet-making. In 1859 James B. Longacre designed a motif with an Indian with a Princess headdress and Mint Director James Ross Snowden quickly approved and chose a laurel wreath for the reverse. The laurel wreath was replaced in 1860 by an oak wreath with a shield. They were immediately accepted by an enthusiastic public for use in commerce. But large quantities of cents were hoarded during the economic chaos of the American Civil War, when nickel was in... About Flying Eagle Cents aka FECs When the United States Mint was created in Philadelphia in 1792, Congress decreed that all denominations be produced on a seignoriage scale. Seignoriage means the stated value of the denomination must be equivalent to the intrinsic weight of the denomination being struck. In other words a cent must be produced with one cent worth of copper in it. Likewise, a Half Dime must have 5-cents worth of silver, a quarter had 25c worth of silver and so on. The same with gold... A $5 Gold coin must contain $5 worth of gold. An example of an 1857 Flying Eagle Cent. Almost / About Uncirculated 50. The outcome was the first Large cents produced in copper were just that—very large. In 1792 the cent looked very different from a modern day Lincoln cent. In 1792 all transactions were coin-based, there were no credit cards, Venmo, or even paper money for that matter. So despite the weight of a cent, seignoriage was generously thought out by the Founding Fathers to insure confidence in a new nation’s financial system. By 1857, the cost of manufacturing a Large Cent exceeded its face value and its large size was becoming ever more cumbersome for general commerce. On February 21st, 1857 Congress legislated the Mint to reduce the size of the cent, from 10. 89 grams to 4. 67 grams. Additionally, the alloy was amended from pure copper to 88% copper -12% nickel. Nickel was discovered in nearby Lancaster County... Join the Fly-In Club or Renew Your Membership Check out the December 2023 edition of Longacre's Ledger. Members get their own copy every four months. As a Fly-In Club member, you will be entitled to three issues of Longacre's Ledger, the official journal of the Flying Eagle and Indian Head Cent Collector's society. Longacre's Ledger is the award-winning journal of the Club issued three times per year. As such it serves as the voice of the members, supplying articles and information on pricing, rarity ratings, availability, history, how error coins are made, as well as the minting process itself. The club boasts many leading numismatists of national distinction amongst its membership. The club encourages all members to participate with their own writing, and photography is available at no charge to members. Membership fees:$25 per yearMade payable to "The Fly-In Club" Application Pay with PayPal The Flying Eagle & Indian Cent Club The Flying Eagle and Indian Cent Society (“The Fly-In Club”) was formed in 1991 with 200 charter members focused on the study and sharing of knowledge of James B. Longacre coinage designs. Longacre was Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1844 until his death in 1869 and is best known for his designs of the Flying Eagle and Indian Head cent. The mission of the club is to foster a fraternal association among members and to enhance the enjoyment of every member’s numismatic endeavors through the sharing of knowledge and collecting experiences. Longacre’s Ledger is the award-winning journal of the Club. As such it is the voice of our membership, supplying articles and information on pricing, rarity ratings, availability, history, how error coins such as the one pictured here are made, as well as the minting process itself. The Fly-In Club boasts leading numismatists, nationally recognized students and collectors of the series amongst its illustrious membership who are always willing to help fellow members, regardless of being a new or experienced collector. The club encourages all members to participate with their own writing, with editing and photography available at no charge to members. Probably no other series is woven with our nation’s history as much as the Indian Cent. From being an essential coin for daily commerce during the Civil and Spanish-American wars to serving out its service and retiring for the 100th commemoration of Lincoln’s birth in 1909. Explore the... Flying Eagle Cents Learn more about Flying Eagle Cents... Indian Cents Learn more about Indian Cents... Featured Indian Cent: 1877 Indian Cent - Proof & Business Strikes - Telling Altered from Genuine This month's featured Indian Cent the 1877 Indian Cent, with a discussion of distinguishing proof strikes from business and genuine coins from altered. Read more about it here... Learn more about Indian Cents... Featured Longacre Coin: 1866 Shield Nickel Cud Error Coin This month's featured Longacre coin is another interesting error - but this time we look at a shield nickel, one of a great series for collectors! Read more about it here... Learn more about Longacre Coins... Featured Flying Eagle Cent: 1857 Flying Eagle Cents with CUD Errors Some examples of die breaks on the reverse side of Flying Eagles are shown here. Read more about it here... Learn more about FECs... Next Coin Show / In-Person Meeting: ANA Oklahoma City August 2025 (Updated 8/14) Next in-person meeting:Summer ANA Show in Oklahoma City on August 22nd, 2025. Time is 1:30 p. m. The room will be determined at the show. Please plan to stop by. Read more about it here... Last Coin Show: FUN - January, 2025 Last in-person meeting:The Fly-In Club held a meeting at the annual FUN Show in Orlando, Florida. The meeting was held on Friday the 10th of January 2025 at the normal slot of 1:30 pm in Room N322. The meeting was begun with an introduction of the 15 attendees. Nine different... This is an example page. It's different from a blog post because it will stay in one place and will show up in your site navigation (in most themes). Most people start with an About page that introduces them to potential site visitors. It might say something like this: Hi there! I'm a bike messenger by day, aspiring actor by night, and this is my website. I live in Los Angeles, have a great dog named Jack, and I like piña coladas. (And gettin' caught in the rain. ) ... or something like this: The XYZ Doohickey Company was founded in 1971, and has been providing quality doohickeys to the public ever since. Located in Gotham City, XYZ employs over 2,000 people and does all kinds of awesome things for the Gotham community. As a new WordPress user, you should go to your dashboard to delete this page and create new pages for your content. Have fun! ## Posts - Categories: Featured Coin, Indian Cents - Tags: featured coin, indian cents The following is a nice summary of 1877 Indian Cents Business Strikes vs. Proof Issues and how to tell real coins from altered date counterfeits. Featured Indian Cent: 1877 Indian Cent - Altered or Genuine Excerpt from Longacre’s Ledger August, 2025. A Discussion of the 1877 Indian Cent - A Key Date Collectible Coin I rarely get an upgrade to my number one or even my number 2 set of Indian Cents these days but at a recent show I picked up a couple gorgeous common date issues, 1898 and 1903. And while they are common dates I will buy anything of eye-appeal. While I was putting them away I had a look at my 1877 Indian Cents, and noticed the one in my number 1 set I had listed as a Proof-64. But I just have never been comfortable with the attribution. It just never had that Proof surface appearance. The one in my #2 set was mint state, or near mint state with some old obverse damage, But is undoubtedly a business strike. 1877 Indian Cent IHC (Business Strike) - Obverse 1877 Indian Cent IHC (Business Strike) - Reverse Photo 3 1877 Proof Indian Cent - Obverse, Photo 2 1877 Proof Indian Cent - Reverse So I pulled them for high end photography and characterization, and the following is a nice summary of 1877 Indian Cents Business Strikes vs. Proof Issues and how to tell real coins from altered date counterfeits. The reverse design of the Indian cent was redesigned in 1870. All Indian cents made prior to 1870 had a Shallow N. From 1870 to 1872 most have the new Bold N... - Categories: Featured Coin, Indian Cents - Tags: featured coin, indian cents Featured Longacre Coin: Shield Nickel A Discussion of an 1866 Shield Nickel Error - A Very Collectible Coin We have all heard the term “metal fatigue” in our lifes. But few have any idea what it means or even seen a classic example of the phenomenon. So let’s have a look at this James B Longacre design 1866 Shield Nickel. 1866 5c Shield Nickel - Cud Error Obverse Close Up - April 2025 Fly In Club Featured Longacre Design Coin The United States Mint was only in its second year of producing copper-nickel coinage in 1866. The exact same alloy is still in use today for the nickel some 160 years later. The composition of the alloy is 75% copper and 25% nickel, and the introduction of nickel promoted the grayish color of the coinage, as it was important for the Mint to replicate a silver patina on its higher denomination coinage rather than the base metal copper look associated with the Cent. But in so doing the nickel increased the strength and hardness of the planchet, making it much more difficult to strike. To make matters worse, metallurgical testing suggests the Mint was not annealing Shield nickel planchets to soften them prior to striking. The higher tonnage demands of the nickel promoted die fatigue. Fatigue is the initiation and growth of a crack in a metal from repetitive stresses, such as from striking coins. The crack eventually grows to a point when it fractures and in this case the... - Categories: Featured Coin, Indian Cents - Tags: featured coin, indian cents Featured Indian Cent A Discussion of No Date Partial Brockage Error Indian Cent - Collectible Coin Here’s a cute little Indian Cent that I’m gonna guess even some error collectors are going to have a look and say “Hmmmm... how did that happen? ” Indian Cent Error Coin - No Date Partial Brockage Error - Obverse - Close up Well in the case of this error only one scenario explains how this brockage error coin was made. Just immediately prior to this normal planchet being fed into the striking chamber a small fragment somehow miraculously found its way into the die chamber and was struck. What do we know about the fragment? Not much. The fragment was soft, probably regular bronze, and probably originally from a cent planchet strip and as such of normal thickness. It was approximately the same size as the shield and just so fortuitously landed on the shield of the reverse die situated in the anvil position (the shield of the reverse die was likely positioned closest to the incoming feeder fingers). Indian Cent Error Coin - ND Partial Brockage Error Obverse Indian Cent Error Coin - ND Partial Brockage Error Reverse Rather than being ejected the fragment stuck to the hammer die (obverse), possibly from the extreme pressure it experienced. The next piece in was a normal planchet (this coin) and was struck as a partial brockage by the fragment. The shield on the reverse is directly opposite the date on the obverse and created... - Categories: Featured Coin, Indian Cents - Tags: featured coin, indian cents Featured Indian Cent A Discussion of the 1862 Indian Cent Starburst Error Coin This 1862 Indian Cent represents one of the most stunning error coins in the entire Indian Cent series, if not all of US issues. 1862 Indian Cent Staburst Error Coin - PCGS Slab, Ex; Simpson PCGS has graded the piece Obverse Die Cap and assigned a grade of a lofty MS67. But this is no ordinary die cap. It’s nickname is the “Starburst Coin”. Almost all (perhaps all except for this) examples of caps resemble a thimble where the coin(s) lodged in the chamber are repeatedly struck inside the collar allowing the edge of the coin to flow upwards at almost a 90-degree angle. Current Estimated Major Auction Price... $60,000. 00 How This Indian Cent Error Coin Was Made... None of us were there when the piece was made so we have to rely on physical, forensic evidence as well as metallurgy to offer guidance. Chris Pilliod, President of the Fly-In Club and a metallurgist by profession has assessed the piece and assembled what he feels are the two leading theories. 1862 Indian Cent Staburst Error Coin - Obverse 1862 Indian Cent Staburst Error Coin - Reverse THEORY 1. Step 1. Two planchets were fed at one time. The two blanks were exactly on top of each other entering the die chamber and were struck simultaneously. Step 2. So the reverse of the Starburst is blank. Step 3. The reverse die was distended above the collar and... - Categories: News, Meetings Next Meeting: ANA Oklahoma City, August 22nd, 2025 (Updated) Summer ANA Show in Oklahoma City on August 22nd, 2025. Time is 1:30 p. m. Details forthcoming. The Fly-In Club will have its annual meeting at the ANA show in Oklahoma City, OK on Friday August 22, 2025 at 1:30 to 2:30. We will have a lively discussion about current events in Flying Eagle and Indian cents, participants can show their new purchases, coins for sale and meet fellow collectors. The room will be determined at the show. Please make a plan to stop on by. - Categories: News, Meetings Last Meeting: FUN, Jan 10th 2025 The Fly-In Club held a meeting at the annual FUN Show in Orlando, Florida. The meeting was held on Friday the 10th of January 2025 at the normal slot of 1:30 pm in Room N322. The meeting was begun with an introduction of the 15 attendees. Nine different states were represented, testimony to the eclectic and motivated mix of membership. The business section of the meeting focused on the club's new website. Ryan Delane, the builder of the site attended virtually from California. The website was met with overall approval from the membership for its visually attractive homepage and ease of surfing. Ryan emphasized the need to add material and keep refreshing to build a robust following. The most recent addition was the building of a Facebook Group and Instagram. The goal is to increase website traffic through the large collector involvement and interaction on these sites. Charmy Harker and Eric Lindholm agreed to be moderators on Facebook and Instagram on an interim basis until full time moderators step up to take over duties. Chris Pilliod will send out an email for volunteers. Instagram tends to favor a younger following than Facebook, so hopefully the outreach will reach a broad sector of the collecting community. The club is also pursuing advertising on the website. Advertising will focus on three pages to run "banner ads". Namely the homepage, the Featured Indian Cent and the Featured Flying Eagle. Details of the advertising are to be worked... - Categories: Meetings, News Next Meeting: FUN, Jan 10th 2025 Next Meeting. The next club meeting will be held at the FUN Convention at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The meeting begins at 1:30 p. m. on Friday January 10th 2025 in Room N322. The meeting will go over club business and be followed by a member speaker. - Categories: Featured Coin, Flying Eagle Cents - Tags: cud, error coins, featured coin, Flying Eagle Cents Featured Coin A Discussion of Cuds on 1857 Flying Eagle Cents By 1858 the Mint staff felt the Flying Eagle design caused production difficulties as die life was very low compared to the previous Large Cent. Die life is one of the most important factors in running a high-production minting operation. The Obverse of the 1857 Flying Eagle Cent (2 Reverse Cuds - North) Uncirculated 1857 Flying Eagle Cent (2 Reverse Cuds - South) This was a result a result of metallurgical fatigue failure or cracking resulting in die breakage (known to collectors as “cuds”). Most of the die breakage occurred on the reverse dies. The reverse die for Flying Eagle cents was the hammer die, and was more susceptible to metal fatigue. Some examples of die breaks on the reverse side of Flying Eagles are shown here. 1857 Flying Eagle Cent (2 Reverse Cuds - North) 1857 Flying Eagle Cent (4 Reverse Cuds) - Categories: Featured Coin, Indian Cents - Tags: featured coin, indian cents Featured Coin A Discussion of 1864-L Indian Cents Struck in Copper-nickel All 1864-L Indian Cents are struck in bronze with a composition of 95% copper – 2. 5% zinc – 2. 5% tin. This summer I purchased an example of an 1864-L Indian Cent struck in copper-nickel. 88% copper – 12% nickel. It grades VG8 and is one of less than ten known examples. All examples known are circulated with the finest being an AU. 1864-L Indian Cent, Copper-Nickel - Obverse 1864-L Indian Cent, Copper-Nickel - Reverse The first order of business was answering why and how were they struck in copper-nickel. Let’s have a look at the issue from a fresh set of eyes. A common mistake amongst most common folks is “spitballing”. That is, throwing out theories from one’s backpockets, with the loudest one being correct. Theories come last, after gathering all facts to the best of your ability. A seasoned engineer would invoke a more disciplined and robust method which generally results in the most robust and verifiable answer. As such before any slingin’ and gunfirin’ commences a full characterization of the issue is performed. Let’s get on with this with patience as a guide and thoroughness. WEIGHT. What is the weight of the subject piece, and what is a normal weight? For the most reliable characterization a comparison of weights between the subject piece and a random sampling of “baseline” samples is needed. Here it is critical that the baseline samples are in like-in-kind condition or... > The Fly-In Club is a coin collectors club.