Indian Head cents are the pennies before the Wheat reverse
Indian Head cents are Liberty in a headdress, 1859 through 1909. Copper-nickel at first, bronze after the 1864 change. 1909 overlaps Lincoln.
An Indian Head cent is the small copper coin with Liberty in a feathered headdress, struck from 1859 through 1909. People call them Indian Head pennies. It is one design, James B. Longacre's, and it stops when Lincoln starts. The Indian Head cent page is the reference for dates, keys, and the mixed 1864 mintage. This note is about telling the coin apart from the Lincoln Wheat cent that replaced it.
Two coins that do not weigh the same
Early dates are copper-nickel. In 1864 the Mint switches to bronze, and the coin gets lighter and thinner. Numista N#1108 is the copper-nickel type. Numista N#2356 is the bronze type. The series specs this site prints from those pages are 4.67 g on the old planchet and 3.11 g on the bronze. That is a spec change, not a price.
1859 versus 1860 is a different argument. The first reverse is a laurel wreath. From 1860 it is an oak wreath with a shield. Same copper-nickel planchet. Do not call that a metal change.
LIBERTY sits on the headband. On a worn coin it goes flat first. If the word is gone, you have wear, not a blank error.
1909 belongs to two series
San Francisco struck this design only in 1908 and 1909. There is no Denver Indian Head on the series page. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark, and the S, when it exists, sits under the wreath.
1909 is also the first Wheat cent year. The old pamphlet's 1-cent cells mix Indian and Lincoln, which is why the Wheat cent note warns you from the other side. Sort with your eyes. A headdress is not wheat ears.
NGC's Indian cent explorer is the listing the series article already points at. Compare the coin to that, or take it to the dealer directory. Do not scrub the headband to make LIBERTY reappear.
People Also Ask
Is the portrait on an Indian Head cent a specific person?
The series page treats it as Liberty in a feathered headdress, James B. Longacre's design. People say Indian Head penny. That nickname is not a second coin.
What changed in the middle of 1864?
The Mint left the thicker copper-nickel planchet for a lighter bronze one. Numista prints both type pages. The pamphlet mintage for 1864 is one mixed cell, so this site does not split that count here.
Did Denver strike Indian Head cents?
No. Philadelphia struck the series. San Francisco appears only in 1908 and 1909. That S, when the coin has one, is below the wreath.
Why is 1909 confusing?
1909 is the last Indian Head year and the first Lincoln Wheat year. The old Mint pamphlet mixes those 1-cent totals. Sort by the design, then use the series page that matches the coin in your hand.