Indian Head Cents

The Indian Head Cent represented the second small cent produced by the United States Mint. The coins were minted from 1859 to 1909, with some design alterations and a composition change along the way. The Indian Cent remains one of the most popular coin series of the 19th century for collectors.

The obverse of the coin features a rendition of Lady Liberty wearing an Indian headdress, which granted the coins their colloquial name. The reverse of the coin initially featured a wreath of laurel leaves. After the first year of issue, this was changed to a wreath of oak leaves with a shield.

From 1859 to 1864 the Indian Cent was produced in a copper nickel composition that consisted of 88% copper and 12% nickel. This was the composition used in the prior Flying Eagle Cent series. The composition was changed to bronze of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc during 1864. At this time minor design alterations were also performed to sharpen the portrait and add the designer's initial.

The key date for the series is considered to be the 1877 Indian Head Cent even though the reported mintage of the 1909-s Indian Head Cent was smaller. The actual mintage for the 1877 is a point of discussion, with some suggesting that the numbers may have been significantly lower than the reported 852,500. The 1909-S Indian Cent had a mintage of 309,000, but most were hoarded as the final issue of the series and only one of two small cents struck at the San Francisco Mint.

Coin Specifications

Dates: 1859-1909
Mint: Philadelphia, San Francisco
Composition: 88% copper, 12% nickel (1859-1964), 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc (1864-1909)
Diameter: 19 mm
Weight: 4.67 grams (1859-1864), 3.11 grams (1864-1909)

More Information: Indian Head Cent Mintage