Indian Head Penny Value Chart: Every Date From 1859 to 1909

The dates to check first

These are the lowest-mintage Indian Head pennies struck for circulation. If you're sorting a jar or an inherited collection, pull these dates out before anything else and check the mint mark carefully.

1. 1909-S Indian Head Cent: 309,000 made. The 1909-S Indian cent has the lowest mintage of the series and was struck in the design's final year.
2. 1877 Indian Head Cent: 852,500 made. The 1877 is the key date of the Indian Head cent series.
3. 1908-S Indian Head Cent: 1,115,000 made.
4. 1871 Indian Head Cent: 3,929,500 made.
5. 1872 Indian Head Cent: 4,042,000 made.
6. 1870 Indian Head Cent: 5,275,000 made.

Every indian head penny by date and mint

Click any date for its full page: how many were made, the mint mark location, varieties and what to check. Mint marks matter: the same year can be common from one mint and scarce from another.

The series in 6 stages

Copper-nickel years and the Civil War (1859 to 1863)

James Longacre's Indian Head replaced the Flying Eagle in 1859 because the new portrait struck up more fully. The 1859 is a one year type with a laurel wreath reverse. The Mint made 36.4 million. In 1860 the Mint switched to an oak wreath with a small shield at the top, the reverse used for the rest of the series.

Bronze cents and the L on the ribbon (1864 to 1872)

The popularity of thin bronze Civil War tokens showed that people would accept a lighter cent. The Act of April 22, 1864 changed the cent to bronze, cutting the weight from 4.67 to 3.11 grams. The Mint struck both copper-nickel and bronze cents that year. Later in 1864 Longacre added his initial L to the ribbon behind the neck. The 1864 bronze with L is a scarce variety.

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.

Recovery and the 1886 portrait change (1879 to 1890)

Production rebounded in 1879 as the surplus cleared and the economy recovered, rising from 16 million that year to about 39 million in 1880 and 1881. Proof mintages climbed into the thousands as collecting grew. After a dip in 1885, output passed 45 million in 1887 and 57 million in 1890, the largest yet.

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.

Record output and the San Francisco keys (1900 to 1909)

Cent production soared in the new century, from 66 million in 1900 to a series high of 108 million in 1907, driven by streetcar fares, penny candy and new vending machines. For the first time the cent was struck outside Philadelphia: San Francisco made 1.1 million cents in 1908, with an S mint mark below the wreath on the reverse.

Decade by decade

• 1850s: 1 issues, 36 million coins. Scarcest: 1859 (36,400,000).
• 1860s: 11 issues, 233 million coins. Scarcest: 1869 (6,420,000).
• 1870s: 10 issues, 83 million coins. Scarcest: 1877 (852,500).
• 1880s: 10 issues, 347 million coins. Scarcest: 1885 (11,761,594).
• 1890s: 10 issues, 437 million coins. Scarcest: 1894 (16,749,500).
• 1900s: 12 issues, 713 million coins. Scarcest: 1909-S (309,000).

Where to find the mint mark

• 1859 to 1907: No mint mark. Philadelphia struck every Indian cent until 1908.
• 1908 to 1909: On the reverse, below the wreath. Only 1908-S and 1909-S carry a mint mark.

Identifying and grading Indian Head pennies

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).

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.

What the value bands mean

• Face value: worth its face in worn condition; only uncirculated coins and varieties carry a premium.
• Small premium: sells for a little over face or metal value even when worn.
• Collector premium: scarcer than usual, so worn coins sell well above face or metal value.
• Significant rarity: a key date, valuable in any condition and often faked.

Bands describe a coin in ordinary circulated condition. An uncirculated coin with full original luster sits a band or more higher. Recognized varieties can be worth far more than the date itself.