This pattern represents James Barton Longacre's first attempt at a small cent design.
Longacre's efforts would culminate with J-180, the 1856 Flying Eagle cent. Though
the J-163/J-164 was nearly the size of a large cent, it was one step toward a smaller,
lighter coin to replace the large cent. A smaller cent would be less expensive to
produce, and would thereby increase Mint profits. It is not at all uncommon to find a
J-164 with a rotated and doublestruck "ONE CENT" such as the one pictured here.
