Fugio Cent

About This Series

The Fugio cent of 1787 is the first coin authorized by the United States under the new republic, struck by contractor James Jarvis rather than a federal mint. Benjamin Franklin is traditionally credited with the design: a sundial above the word FUGIO ("I fly", meaning time flies) and the blunt advice MIND YOUR BUSINESS on the obverse, with thirteen linked rings and WE ARE ONE on the reverse. It is copper, roughly 10 grams and 28.5 mm, and carries no precious metal at all. Struck in a single year, the series is collected by die variety rather than by date - Eric Newman's classification is the standard reference, and it separates the commonly encountered pointed-ray cinquefoil types from genuinely rare ones like the AMERICAN CONGRESS reverse and the raised-rim issues. New Haven restrikes and modern Bashlow copies trade under the Fugio name but are not original 1787 coins.