1859-1909 Indian Head Cents
The 1864 Indian Head Cent “with L” (Buy on eBay) represents the early appearance of a minor design change for the Indian Cent series. The design change was made by adding the letter “L” on the lower ribbon of the obverse and slightly sharpening the portrait. The “L” was the initial of the designer James […]
The 1859 Indian Head Cent (Buy on eBay) was the first year of issue for the series and a one subtype. The coin had a mintage of 36,400,000 coins produced for circulation with an estimated 800 coins in proof format. The circulation strike represented the highest mintage of any United States coin up to that […]
The Indian Head Cent was struck in two different compositions during the course of the series. From 1859 to mid-1864, the coins were struck in a composition consisting of 88% copper and 12% nickel, weighing 4.67 grams, or 72 grains. After this point the composition was changed to a bronze alloy consisting of 95% copper […]
The Indian Head Cent was produced from 1859 to 1909, following the very short lived Flying Eagle Cent series. During the Indian Head Cent’s run, coins were produced primarily at the Philadelphia Mint, with the final two years also produced at the San Francisco Mint. The series includes a change of the reverse design after […]