Fugio Cent
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| One Cent (United States) | |
|---|---|
| Value: | 0.01 U.S. dollar |
| Mass: | 10.2 g |
| Diameter: | - mm (- in) |
| Thickness: | - mm (- in) |
| Edge: | - |
| Composition: | Cu |
| Years of minting: | - |
| Catalog number: | - |
| Obverse | |
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| Design: | Sun and Sun dial |
| Designer: | Benjamin Franklin |
| Design date: | 1787 |
| Reverse | |
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| Design: | "We Are One", 13 State Chain Links |
| Designer: | Benjamin Franklin |
| Design date: | 1787 |
On 21 April 1787, the Continental Congress of the United States authorized a design for an official penny, later referred to as the Fugio cent because of its image of the sun shining down on a sundial with the caption, "Fugio" (Latin: I flee/fly). This coin was reportedly designed by Benjamin Franklin, and as a reminder to its holders, he put at its bottom the message, "Mind Your Business". The image and the words form a rebus meaning that time flies, do your work. This design had also been used on the "Continental dollar" (issued as coins of unknown real denomination, and in paper notes of different fractional denominations) in February of 1776.
Some historians believe that the word "business" was intended literally here, as Franklin was an influential and successful businessman. Given Franklin's history publishing aphorisms, it may have been intended to mean both.
The reverse side of both the 1776 coins and paper notes, and the 1787 coins, bore the third motto "We Are One" (in English) surrounded by thirteen chain links, representing the original thirteen colonial states.
Following the reform of the central government with the 1789 ratification of the 1787 Constitution, gold and silver coins bore the motto "E pluribus unum" from the Great Seal of the United States.
In 1864, during the Civil War, the Union (North) introduced a two-cent coin with the motto "In God We Trust". In 1956, Congress declared "In God We Trust" the official national motto and mandated its appearance on all U.S. currency, but more recently there have been calls to restore the original mottoes.
[edit] See also
- Large cent (United States coin)
- History of the United States dollar
- United States dollar
- United States Note
[edit] External links
- The Fugio Cent of 1787: Introduction , The Coins of Colonial and Earlier America.
- U.S. Mint: Circulating Coins FAQ
- U.S. Mint: 1776 Continental "Dollar"
- Mind Your Business
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