Common Cents

I tend to trust those who speak plainly and suspect those who are vague and intellectualize their message.

Once again we see the straight-forward common sense our founders used when discovering the first coin mined by the United States, the Fugio Cent

In don’t get more plain then “Mind Your Business”.

Fugio CentOn April 21, 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 designed by Benjamin Franklin. 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 was also used on the “Continental dollar” (issued as coins of unknown real denomination, and in paper notes of different fractional denominations) in February of 1776.

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.

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