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Copper-Nickel Cents White Cents Nickel Cents Nickels
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Copper-Nickel Cents
Copper-Nickel Cents
1856 to 1864
Copper-Nickel Cents
1857 to 1864
White Cents
White Cents
1856 to 1864
White Cents
1857 to 1864
Nickel Cents
Nickel Cents
1856 to 1864
Nickel Cents
1857 to 1864
Cents
Cents
1856 to 1864
Cents
1857 to 1864
Nickels
Nickels
1856 to 1864
Nickels
1857 to 1864
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Copper-Nickel Cents
The One Cent coin with its present diameter of 19 millimeters first debuted in 1856 as a pattern to gauge the interest of members of the contemporary Congress. Years of rising costs associated with copper brought on experimentation to find a suitable replacement for the old Large Cents. The results were a new composition that was 88 parts copper and 12 parts nickel and noticeably whiter in color.
After a swift approval by the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Coinage Act of 1857 authorized the new cent to be produced. An estimated 1,500 to 2,000 pieces were struck before the end of 1856 and are considered treasures today by the global numismatic community.
