1856 Slanted 5 Proof

The 1856 Slanted 5 proof large cent is the penultimate proof of the denomination. Only 1857 would follow before the large cent was abolished. The proof was struck from the slanted-date die, polished to a mirror finish, using a carefully selected copper planchet. The Mint in 1856 was already distributing pattern coins for the upcoming Flying Eagle cent to members of Congress and other officials, building support for the legislation that would end large cent production the following year.

Proof production in 1856 reflected a Mint that had grown more comfortable serving collectors. Director James Ross Snowden encouraged numismatic interest and saw proof sales as good public relations for the institution. The number of proof cents struck in 1856 was still small, but the process was more organized than it had been a decade earlier. The 1856 Slanted 5 proof is a scarce coin with strong appeal. It represents the last full year of large cent production before the Coinage Act of 1857 swept the denomination away, ending a sixty-four-year run that had begun with the first cents of 1793.