1878 Indian Head Cent Proof
Proof struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 2,350 made
- Mintage
- 2,350
- Metal
- 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc
- Weight
- 3.11 g
- Diameter
- 19 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1878 Indian Head Cent Proof worth?
This is one of the dates collectors hunt for. A genuine 1878 is valuable in any condition, even well worn. That's exactly why fakes and altered coins turn up so often.
What would make yours worth more:
- Grade and, for proofs, strong cameo contrast
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1878 Indian Head Cent Proof rare?
- Fairly. The Mint made 2,350 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1878 Indian Head Cent?
- No mint mark. Philadelphia struck every Indian cent until 1908.
- How many 1878 Indian Head Cent proofs were made?
- 2,350.
What to check on your 1878
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Judge the grade under good light. In Very Fine, all five letters of LIBERTY on the headband are visible; collectors also look at the feather tips and the "diamonds" on the ribbon. Color is graded too: Red (RD), Red-Brown (RB) and Brown (BN).
Proofs from 1878 were struck one at a time in small numbers and many were later spent or mishandled. Look for hairlines from cleaning, which lower the grade.
The story of the 1878
Open 3, Closed 3 and the rare 1877 (1873 to 1878)
Early 1873 cents used a date punch where the knobs of the 3 nearly touch, which looked too much like an 8. The Mint switched to an Open 3 later in the year. The Closed 3 also produced a scarce doubled LIBERTY variety. Production climbed above 14 million in 1874, then the long slump that followed the Panic of 1873 cut demand.
The 1877 is the key date of the series, with only 852,500 coined at a time when the Treasury held a surplus of minor coins and business was weak. It has been widely counterfeited, often by reshaping the last digit of an 1879 or another date, so authentication matters. The 1878 recovered only to about 5.8 million. Most survivors from these years are brown and circulated. Many 1877 cents have been cleaned or damaged, so problem free examples are especially sought after.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1878
The Bland-Allison Act required the Treasury to buy millions of dollars' worth of silver each month and coin it into dollars. George T. Morgan's new silver dollar was the result and the twenty-cent piece was struck for the last time, as proofs only.
How to recognize it
Liberty wears a feathered headdress with LIBERTY on the band, surrounded by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA with the date below. The 1859 reverse is a laurel wreath around ONE CENT; from 1860 an oak wreath with a small shield at the top was used. Coins from 1864 on are bronze and from partway through 1864 they show the designer's initial L on the ribbon behind Liberty's neck. Mint marks (only S, 1908 and 1909) are below the wreath on the reverse.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Indian Head Cent (1859–1909) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1878 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 2,350 |
| Face value | 1¢ |
| Composition | 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc (bronze) |
| Weight | 3.11 grams |
| Diameter | 19 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James B. Longacre |
Other 1878 Indian Head Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1878 Indian Head Cent | 5,797,500 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1878 Indian Head Cent Proof | 2,350 | Proof | – |
Mintage: United States cent mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.