Fugio Cents

About This Coin

America's first federally authorized coinage, the Fugio cents were authorized by the Continental Congress on April 21, 1787, and struck at James Jarvis's mint in New Haven, Connecticut. Weighing 10.2 grams with a 28 mm diameter and plain edge, these copper cents bear Benjamin Franklin's celebrated design concept: the obverse features a sundial beneath a radiant sun with the Latin motto FUGIO ("I fly," referring to the swift passage of time) and the exhortation MIND YOUR BUSINESS, while the reverse displays thirteen chain links — each representing an original state — encircling WE ARE ONE. The dual message combines a philosophical meditation on time's passage with a practical encouragement of industry and commerce, reflecting Franklin's characteristic blend of wisdom and pragmatism. The dies were executed by various engravers under Jarvis's direction, generating an extensive array of die varieties cataloged in the Newman reference system, with major classifications including "United States" versus "States United" reverse legends, various fraction types (including the "1 Over Horizontal 1" variety), and cinquefoil ornament variations. Jarvis's failure to deliver the contracted copper supply and his flight from creditors left the coinage incomplete, but the approximately 400,000 pieces produced established the foundational template for American cent coinage. Fugio cents occupy an unparalleled position in American numismatics as the first coins authorized by the national government, predating the establishment of the United States Mint in 1792 by five years.