Minted for a mere 3 years from 1856 - 1858, the Flying Eagle cent was a rather unique coin. As with early Indian Head cents (which were minted after the Flying Eagle) it was composed of 88% copper and 12% nickel, which gave it a distinctly white appearance that is more reminiscent of modern day nickels. Due to that content make-up, the coin was known as the "nickel" before the mint released the $0.05 nickel coin.
They were minted for such a short time due to technical difficulties. The stamps at the mint would often have to strike harder to get both the obverse and reverse. This resulted in numerous coins having failed or very weak strikes.
Currently, even in poor conditions, the Flying Eagle fetches roughly $30. In non-mint, they can fetch as much as $500 and in mint conditions, they're easily worth $1,000+. The 1856 Flying Eagle cent was only produced in a quantity of a few hundred and as such, are worth $6,000+ in poor conditions and quickly reach well over $10,000 in better conditions.
