1857 Flying Eagle Small Cent- Doubled Die Obverse, Snow 15, FS-102- PCGS AU53

1857 Flying Eagle Cent

• Type: Small cent, first regular issue year for Flying Eagle design (replacing large cents)  
• Composition: 88% copper, 12% nickel 
• Minted only in Philadelphia, no mint mark 
• Mintage: approximately 17,450,000

Variety: FS-102 / Snow-15 (002.3)

• “FS” refers to the Fivaz-Stanton variety listing number for die varieties.
• Snow-15 is a classification from Rick Snow’s book identifying specific die characteristics, often related to double die or repunched features on the obverse (front) of the coin.
• This specific variety is a Double Die Obverse (DDO) — meaning the design was struck twice on the die in a way that produces doubling on elements of the obverse, which specialists collect. 

Variety coins like this typically trade at premiums over common 1857 cents because they’re more unique than the common coin.