1837 Feuchtwanger Cent - Circulated - Defender

At the time these private coins were struck, the U.S. Mint was producing the Large Cent and the Half Cent. During this time however, the cost of copper was steadily on the rise and in an attempt to save money, they turned to private citizens with one ask: design and strike new coins to replace the Half and Large Cents.

One of the most famous private issue coins of the time was the ‘Feuchtwanger Cent’ -- a coin designed and produced by a man named Lewis Feuchtwanger, a noted mineralogist, metallurgist, and chemist from Bavaria.

His answer to the U.S. Mint’s call for a new ‘Small Cent’ was to create a brand-new piece struck from ‘German silver’ -- otherwise known as 'argentan'. This was a unique alloy made up of copper, nickel, zinc, tin, and other trace metals.

His design featured imagery that would eventually go on to become synonymous with United States coinage in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

His cent’s obverse design featured ‘One Cent’ surrounded by wreaths on one side and had ‘Feuchtwanger’s Composition’ etched around the design.

The reverse featured an eagle with its wings raised and a snake captured in its claws above the date ‘1837’.

Similar imagery would appear on the new U.S. Small Cent almost 19 years later -- the resemblance was so close that many collectors consider this private Feuchtwanger Cent to be the first ‘cent’ to feature the now iconic imagery of the United States ‘Cent’ series!

Each 1937 Feuchtwanger Cent will arrive encapsulated and in collector's quality circulated condition.