The first official U.S. coin told people to “mind your business.”

  • Fugio cent, 1850
Fugio cent, 1850
Credit © YA/BOT/Alamy
Author Michael Nordine

June 26, 2026

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There are many ways to display your patriotism on the Fourth of July, one of which is to “mind your business.” That, at least, is what the first official U.S. coin, minted in 1787, had written on the obverse (front side). 

Inspired by a design from Benjamin Franklin, it was known as the Fugio cent because it featured that Latin word (which means “I fly”) next to a sundial. Below the image was the phrase “Mind your business.” Taken together, the message has been interpreted to mean “Time flies, so mind your business.” 

That bluntness is echoed in another early American motto: “Live free or die,” which traces back to a letter written by General John Stark in 1809 and was later adopted as New Hampshire’s state motto. 

The reverse side of the Fugio cent was comparatively mild and featured the phrase “We are one” surrounded by 13 chain links representing the original colonial states; it wasn’t until the next year that “E pluribus unum” was first printed on U.S. currency.

The Fugio cent, for its part, didn’t last long in circulation. The coin was lightweight, which people apparently didn’t enjoy the feel of.

By the Numbers

Did you know?

The U.S. once printed $100,000 notes.

The highest denomination of U.S. currency in circulation is $100, but America used to print much more valuable bills. The Bureau of Engraving printed $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 bills until July 14, 1969, when the Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve System announced that these bills would be discontinued due to lack of use. 

For a brief period between December 18, 1934, and January 9, 1935, the bureau even issued a $100,000 Gold Certificate. That note featured a portrait of Woodrow Wilson and was used only by Federal Reserve Banks against an equal amount of gold bullion held by the Treasury. Because they weren’t intended for public use, the certificates never entered circulation.

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