The Indian Head Cent

Values

An Indian Head cent’s market depends on the date, the mint mark, the grade, and — on bronze coins — the color. This page is a series reference, not a price list.

The G, VF, and MS-63 columns sit in the mintage chart below. Those figures are from the NGC US Coin Price Guide, retrieved 2026-08-23. They are a published guide, not an offer and not melt. A blank cell means that grade was not printed in this pass. 1864, 1873, 1886, and 1909 stay mintage-only on the parent line because the pamphlet does not split those varieties. Values sit on the NGC splits.

A dealer looking at the coin in hand will beat a guide number. If you are trying to sell a pile of them, start with how to sell a coin collection and the Ohio coin dealer directory.

Key Dates

These are the dates collectors ask about first. This is a name list, not a price list and not a mintage table. PCGS CoinFacts names them. Do not call every early bronze date a key.

• 1877
• 1908-S
• 1909-S

Key date names: NGC Coin Explorer. This is a name list, not a price list.

Key dates are bolded on the mintage chart.

1877 is the key. 1909-S is the other key. 1908-S is the semi-key. A worn common date is still worn.

Errors

These are named varieties. They are not extra pamphlet rows. The 1974 Mint table does not split them out, and this page will not invent a count.

1864 copper-nickel, bronze, and L. The pamphlet 1864 1-cent count is one cell. NGC splits Copper Nickel, Bronze, and L Bronze. The G / VF / MS-63 cells sit on those variety rows under 1864-P. The parent mintage stays the mixed total.

1873 Open 3 versus Closed 3. Two shapes of the 3. The pamphlet does not split them. Values sit on those variety rows under 1873-P.

1886 Type 1 versus Type 2. The last feather points between or to a letter in AMERICA. The pamphlet does not split them. Values sit on those variety rows under 1886-P.

1909-P and 1909-S. The pamphlet 1909 1-cent cells mix Indian and Lincoln. Values sit on the NGC Indian splits. That mix is not an error.

1877 and 1909-S are the keys. They are not errors. 1864-L is a named variety, not a key on this list.

Compare the coin in hand to the NGC Coin Explorer Indian page. We do not host their plates.

Varieties

These are the reverse, planchet, and date-style splits NGC already prints for Indian Head cents. Copper color on bronze is a color call, not another type.

• 1859 laurel wreathThe first reverse is a laurel wreath with no shield. It is a design change, not a spec change. The planchet is still copper-nickel.
• 1860 oak wreath and shieldFrom 1860 the reverse is an oak wreath with a shield. Both 1859 and 1860 use the copper-nickel planchet.
• 1864 copper-nickelThe early 1864 coins stay on the copper-nickel planchet. NGC splits them from the bronze.
• 1864 bronze, no LThe Mint left copper-nickel for bronze in 1864. Thickness and weight drop. A bronze coin with no L on the ribbon is this split.
• 1864 LLongacre’s initial on the ribbon of some bronze 1864 cents. NGC lists L Bronze as its own row. It is a variety, not a key on this page’s key list.
• 1873 Open 3 and Closed 3Two shapes of the 3. The pamphlet does not split them. NGC prints both.
• 1886 Type 1 and Type 2The last feather in the headdress points between letters, or at a letter in AMERICA. Guides name both. The pamphlet does not split them.

Names follow PCGS CoinFacts and NGC, the same publishers this site already cites. This is a name list, not a price list and not a count.

Mintage

Indian Head cents were struck at Philadelphia for the whole 1859–1909 run. San Francisco appears only in 1908 and 1909. There is no Denver Indian Head in the pamphlet table this page uses. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark. The counts below are the pamphlet 1-cent cells in this repository.

These are Bureau of the Mint manufacture figures from the 1974 GPO pamphlet in this repository, not a Red Book net or melt. The grade columns in the same box are NGC guide values from 2026-08-23, not an offer. The pamphlet 1-cent cells are manufacture, not Indian only. 1909-P and 1909-S are Indian plus Lincoln, not split. 1864 is copper-nickel plus bronze plus L, not split.

Read the date. Read the mint mark under the wreath. Look at LIBERTY in the headband before you argue color.

Specifications

These are mint specs, not what a dealer pays. Wear can take a little weight off. We will not invent a tolerance.

An Indian Head cent is copper-nickel through mid-1864, then bronze. 1859 laurel versus 1860 oak-and-shield is a design change, not a spec change. The 1864 bronze change is a spec change. BN, RB, and RD are color calls on bronze. They are not a spec change.

Grading

An Indian Head cent wears first on LIBERTY in the headband, on the hair and feathers, and on the wreath — laurel in 1859, oak and shield from 1860. Those spots go flat before you argue about color.

Copper color — brown, red-brown, or red — is a color call on the bronze coins, not a numeric grade. 1859 versus 1860 is a design change. 1864 copper-nickel versus bronze is a spec change. Neither one is a grade.

Key Diagnostic Areas

Circulated & Mint State

These cards describe this coin, not a second copy of the P-1 through MS-70 chart. The shared numbers live on the glossary.

See graded photos. The photos that show what VF looks like live at PCGS. We do not host their plates. NGC Coin Explorer is another look if you want a second set. Guide values on this page came from the NGC Price Guide.

Proof Indian Head cents exist for the run. They were made as proofs. This page does not invent a PR price grid — NGC did not print one in the 2026-08-23 sheet used here. The proof numbers live on the glossary.

Copper color

BN, RB, and RD describe remaining original color on uncirculated copper. They are not extra numeric grades. The names also live on the glossary.

Overview

An Indian Head cent is a United States one-cent coin with Liberty in a feathered headdress on the front and a wreath on the back. Collectors mean the coins struck from 1859 through 1909. People call them Indian Head pennies. Both names point at the same Longacre design.

People like them because the type still reads across a table, the date-and-mint combinations give you something to chase, and the worn ones show up in jars. They are also easy to ruin. A wiped bronze coin looks “better” to a seller and worse to everyone else.

This page is a series article, not a shop listing.

History

The series starts in 1859 with James B. Longacre’s design. The first reverse is a laurel wreath. In 1860 the reverse becomes an oak wreath with a shield. That is a design change on the same copper-nickel planchet.

In 1864 the Mint leaves copper-nickel for bronze. Thickness and weight drop. The pamphlet 1864 count still mixes the old planchet, the new bronze, and the L bronze. This page will not pretend to split that cell. Values sit on the NGC splits.

San Francisco strikes 1908-S and 1909-S. In 1909 the Mint introduces Brenner’s Lincoln cent. The pamphlet 1909-P and 1909-S 1-cent totals mix Indian with Lincoln. The Wheat page does the same honesty from the other side.

This page will not invent a shop list or a melt story to fill the years between.

Design

Obverse: Liberty facing left in a feathered headdress, “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “LIBERTY” on the headband, and the date. Reverse: 1859 is a laurel wreath around “ONE CENT.” From 1860 it is an oak wreath with a shield above. The mint mark sits below the wreath in 1908 and 1909 when the coin is from San Francisco.

Look at LIBERTY, the hair and feathers, and the wreath. Those spots go flat first.

Copper color — brown, red-brown, or red — is a color call on the bronze coins. It is not a G / VF / MS-63 number. Copper-nickel 1859–1864 is a different planchet.

Proof Indian Heads exist for the run. They were made as proofs, not as circulation strikes that someone shined later.

People Also Ask

What years are Indian Head pennies?

Circulation Indian Head cents were struck from 1859 through 1909. People call them Indian Head pennies. Both names point at the same Longacre design. San Francisco appears only in 1908 and 1909. There is no Denver Indian Head in the pamphlet table this page uses.

How much is an Indian Head penny worth?

It depends on the date, the mint mark, the grade, and — on bronze coins — the color. The G, VF, and MS-63 columns in the mintage chart are NGC guide values from 2026-08-23, not an offer. A dealer looking at the actual coin will beat a guide number.

Why do 1859 and 1860 look different?

1859 has a laurel wreath and no shield. From 1860 the reverse is an oak wreath with a shield. That is a design change, not a spec change. Both years use the copper-nickel planchet.

What changed in 1864?

The Mint left the copper-nickel planchet for bronze. Thickness and weight drop. The pamphlet 1864 count mixes copper-nickel, bronze, and the L bronze. Values sit on the NGC splits.

What do BN, RB, and RD mean on an Indian Head cent?

Brown, red-brown, and red. They describe remaining original red on bronze coins. They are a color call, not a G, VF, or MS-63 number. Copper-nickel 1859–1864 is a different planchet.

Collector Considerations

Buy the coin, not the story. A common late bronze date in a high grade can cost more than a better date that has already lost LIBERTY. That is normal.

If you inherited a jar, do not scrub the date to “see it better.” Keep them in the holders they arrived in, or in cheap cardboard flips, and take the box to a person who sees Indian Heads every week. The coin dealer directory starts in Ohio. This site does not invent shop names to fill a paragraph.

Raw coins are fine. So are slabs. What is not fine is a coin that has been cleaned until the fields look like glass, then offered as “original.” Say what happened if you know. A dealer will see it anyway.

If you collect by type, one honest circulated Indian Head will teach you the headband and the wreath. If you collect by mint mark, give yourself time. 1877, 1908-S, and 1909-S are the names on the key list. The rest is homework.

For the cent that replaced this one, read the Lincoln Wheat cent page.

A Final Word

Indian Head cents reward people who slow down. Read the date. Read the mint mark. Look at LIBERTY. Leave the polish under the sink.

When you want another series on this site, the Lincoln Wheat cent is already here.