Description
In April of 1787 the United States authorized the first coins to be issued; a copper penny whose design has been credited to one of the most famous and influential founding fathers of our great nation- Benjamin Franklin.
The obverse design of the coin is the sun over a sundial with the word “Fugio” (Latin: I Flee) to the left side, with the date 1787 to the right.
To remind its owners, Franklin added a message that reads “Mind Your Business”- which may have been intended to mean both monetary and social.
The reverse has a third motto “We Are One” inside a small circle with thirteen chain links around it representing the original thirteen colonial states. They were struck in New Haven Connecticut mostly from military stores. It is believed to have been the copper bands that held powder kegs together sent to us by the French.
