1899 Indian Head Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 53,598,000 made
- Mintage
- 53,598,000
- 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 1899 Indian Head Cent worth?
Age alone gives this coin a small premium, even worn. Sharp details and original surfaces push it higher.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- Full red copper color (labeled RD) rather than brown
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1899 Indian Head Cent rare?
- Not by date: 54 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1899 Indian Head Cent?
- No mint mark. Philadelphia struck every Indian cent until 1908.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1899 are scarcer?
- The 1894 at 16,749,500, the 1895 at 38,341,474, the 1896 at 39,055,431, plus 2 more. So the 1899 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1899 Indian Head Cent coins were made?
- 53,598,000.
What to check on your 1899
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1899 Indian Head Cent Proof (2,031 made) is the one to compare with.
- Old coins pick up damage over a long life. Look for holes, bends, scratches or signs of cleaning before you judge the grade, because a damaged coin sells for a fraction of a problem-free one.
- 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).
The story of the 1899
Philadelphia made 53,598,000 in 1899, about the same as the year before. In 1900 the figure was 67 million.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1899 you find is from Philadelphia.
Across Philadelphia's 52 Indian Head Cent issues, the hardest to find is the 1877 with 852,500 made. The 1899 is one of the easier ones. Within the 1890s it's 9th smallest of 10, between the 1897 (50 million) and the 1890 (57 million).
The 1890s and the 1894 doubled date (1891 to 1899)
Cent demand in the 1890s tracked the economy. Production was about 47 million in 1891 and 1893, but the depression that followed the Panic of 1893 cut 1894 output to 16.7 million, the lowest figure in the decade. The 1894 also has a well known repunched date that shows a clear second set of digits, a favorite variety for the period.
By 1897 output reached 50 million and stayed near that level as the economy recovered. Dies from this decade are generally well made. The Mint's strikes are sharper than in the 1870s, so complete diamonds on the ribbon and full feather tips are common. Coins from these years are among the easiest Indian cents to find in uncirculated condition, though fully red examples remain scarce because bronze tones over time.
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 | 1899 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 53,598,000 |
| 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 1899 Indian Head Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1899 Indian Head Cent | 53,598,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1899 Indian Head Cent Proof | 2,031 | 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.