1787 1c Fugio Cant 4 Cinquefoils Pointed Rays NGC MS62 BN
The Fugio cent, also known as the Franklin cent, is the first official circulation coin of the United States. Consisting of 0.36 oz (10 g) of copper, it was designed by Benjamin Franklin and minted only in 1787.
On April 21, 1787, the Congress of the Confederation of the United States authorized a design for an official copper penny, later referred to as the Fugio cent because of its image of the Sun and its light shining down on a sundial with the caption, “Fugio” (Latin: I flee/fly, referring to time flying by). As a reminder to its holders, he put at its bottom, the message: “Mind your business.” This design was based on the 1776 “Continental dollar” coin, which was produced in pattern pieces but never circulated.
Some historians believe that the word “business” was intended literally here, as Franklin was an influential and successful businessman. It does not mean “mind your own business” as that phrase is used today, but, rather, “pay attention to your affairs.”
The reverse side of 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 1788 ratification of the 1787 Constitution, gold and silver coins transitioned to the motto “E pluribus unum” from the Great Seal of the United States.
