Indian Head Cent
1859 - 1909
The Indian Head Cent was designed by James Barton Longacre and minted from 1859 through 1909. They 
were produced at the Philadelphia Mint for the duration and by the San Francisco Mint in 1908 and 1909.
The obverse of this coin features Lady Liberty wearing a feathered bonnet. Though this coin is commonly called the Indian Head Cent, or the Indian Head Penny, it is not a Native American that appears on the obverse. It has the words, “United States of America” along with the date around the rim and the word “Liberty” on the headband.
The reverse side of this coin shows “ONE CENT” surrounded by a laurel wreath. In 1860 this design was modified with the laurel wreath 
becoming an oak wreath. Three arrows were added, entwined with the ribbon and a shield was placed at the top between the wreaths.
The Indian Head Cent was minted with 88% copper and 12% nickel, which was actually required by the law at the time. In 1864 the weight of the coin was dropped from 72 grains to 48 grains. The metal content of the coin was changed to 95% copper and 5% zinc and tin.
The area of the coin that is most subject to wear is the bonnet and especially the headband. The word “Liberty” is usually worn completely away in well circulated examples.
The Indian Head Cent is currently very underrated as a collectable coin. When you consider that, in total, only 1,849,648,000 coins were minted over a period of 50 years you will realize just how rare these small cents are. In addition, this small cent was heavily circulated making nice high grade examples even more rare.
As the prices of silver and gold increase so does the cost of silver and gold coins. Rising prices in sliver and gold coins will encourage many coin collectors to look at other types of coins. Who knows for sure, but you can get really nice Indian Head Cent coins relatively cheap - today.
The most valuable dates are 1877 (over $400), 1909-S (over $200), and 1908-S (about $40). Remaining dates and mint marks range from $2.00 to $35.00. Note that these values are approximate for coins in Very Good condition, higher grades will bring much more.
Indian Head Cent Specifications
- Diameter: 19 mm
- Weight:
- 1859 - 1863 3.11 g
- 1864 to 1909 4.67 g
- Composition:
- 1859 - 1863 88% Copper 12% Nickel
- 1864 to 1909 95% Copper 5% Zinc
- Edge: Plain
- Designer: James Barton Longacre