1. Indian Head Penny Key Dates
2. Indian Head Penny For Sale On Ebay

Indian Head pennies followed in the early success of the first small cents, which bore the Flying Eagle design minted from 1856 through 1858. Like the earlier series, Indian Head pennies were designed by James B. Longacre, who served as Chief Engraver of the United States Mint. Longacre served as chief engraver from 1844 until his death in 1869. INDIAN HEAD PENNY ROLL OLD WHEAT CENTS VINTAGE COIN COLLECTION LINCOLN CENT SALE. 1859 Indian Head Penny Cent. This historic and popular coin, which was designed by James Longacre, was first minted in 1859—and served as our nation’s circulating penny for 50 years. We now can offer you the rare opportunity to obtain a bag of 50 Indian Head pennies, unsearched by us, and in better condition than you’d find elsewhere! Bag color may change. 1909 Indian Head Pennies Are The Last Of Their Kind. After 50 years, it was time for the Indian Head penny to come to an end. It was replaced by the Lincoln cent in August 1909. Like the 1909-S Indian Head cent, some of the 1909 Lincoln pennies are also rare — including the 1909-S penny and 1909-S VDB penny. Condition: F-12. 1907 P Indian Head Cent. Seller: hallmark. Condition: XF 40. 1905 Indian Head Cent Small Cent.

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Home > U.S. Coins > Indian Head Pennies

The Flying Eagle Cent and Indian Head Cent were minted between 1856 and 1909. We have a great selection of Indian Head and Flying Eagle Cents all graded using strict Photograde standards. Grades available from almost good in condition to almost uncirculated. Add some of these exciting, and rare U.S. Coins to your collection today. These coins offer great value to todays' collector making for a collection that can be easily, and affordably added to, and handed down for generations to come. Indian Head Penny Specials Click Here to View our Specials or Scroll Down for Full Inventory How to Grade Flying Eagle/Indian Head Cents G4 Good - Eagle: All details worn, but readable. Indian: No letters in LIBERTY readable, full to near full rims. VG7 Very Good - Eagle: Feather details and eye are evident, but worn. Indian: At lease three letters readable in LIBERTY. F12 Fine - Eagle: Eagle head details and feather tips sharp. Indian: LIBERTY completely readable, but weak in spots. VF20 Very Fine - Eagle: Feathers in right wing and tail show considerable detail. Indian: Slight, but even wear on LIBERTY. EF40 Extremely Fine - Eagle: Slight wear, all details sharp. Indian: Details and LIBERTY sharp. Slight wear on ribbon end. AU50 Almost Uncirculated - Eagle: Slight wear on eagle's left wing and breast. Indian: Slight wear above ear and lowest curl of hair. Indian Head pennies, also known as the Indian Head Cent, were produced by the United States Mint and designed by Philadelphia Mint engraver James Barton Longacre from 1844 to 1869. Indian Head coins are highly sought after due to their rarity, and collectors will often buy Indian Head pennies at many times their face value. Collectors in search of Indian Head Cents for sale will find that our selection is graded using strict Photograde standards, and spans across all production years. These coins feature the head of Liberty with a feather head dress of a Native American on the obverse side along with text reading “United States of America.” There will be one of two designs on the reverse side, depending on the year; a coin from 1859 reads 'ONE CENT' inside a wreath of laurel, and the other, from 1860 until the end of production, has a similar design except that the text is inside a wreath of oak and olive. The reverse side also features a ribbon tied at the base of the wreath with a Federal shield above. Make the rare Indian Head Penny part of your collection while you can!

Indian Head Penny Overview

Nearly 160 years after its first mintage, the Indian Head penny is still an incredibly popular coin and a staple of many collections.

The Indian Head penny was first struck in 1859, replacing its predecessor, the Flying Eagle cent. The Indian Head penny was only the second small cent to be created.

Like the Flying Eagle cent, the Indian Head penny was designed by James B. Longacre, who was an extremely influential figure in the design of American coinage.

The obverse of Longacre’s design features not an “Indian,” but in fact a profile bust portrait of Liberty wearing a Native American-style feather headdress. Below her neck is the year of mintage, and surrounding her head is the legend “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.”

The reverse design originally featured a simple laurel wreath with the denomination “ONE CENT” boldly in the center. Coins with this design are referred to as Type 1 Indian Head cents. However, this design was changed in the following year.

Indian Head Penny Key Dates

All subsequent mintages of the cent piece have an oak wreath instead, with “ONE CENT” in the center and a union shield at the top. Both faces also feature a denticled rim, a ring of small bumps.

The composition of the Indian Head cent likewise evolved. Coins minted from 1859 to 1864 were 88% copper and 12% nickel and had a diameter of 19mm and a mass of 4.67g. Coins with this composition are Type 2 Indian Head cents.

Coins minted from 1864 to 1909, on the other hand, are composed of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc and have a diameter of 19mm and a mass of 3.11g. Coins with this new composition belong to Type 3 of the Indian Head cents.

1909 was the final year of mintage for the Indian Head cent and saw the appearance of its successor, the Wheat penny.

History of the 1905 Indian Head Penny

Collectors consider 1905 a late mintage of the Indian Head penny. Like other late mintages, especially those in the early twentieth century, 1905 saw a rather large number of pennies struck: 80,717,011.

One proposed reason for such high mintage numbers at this time is the growing reliance on cent pieces for penny arcades, public transportation, and other such services.

Because so many coins were produced, hundreds of different dies were used for striking the pennies. As a result, there are several minor varieties for the 1905 Indian Head penny. However, these do not typically raise the premium for the coins.

At the time, these coins were only produced at the Philadelphia Mint. It was not until 1908 that Indian Head cents would be struck elsewhere. As such, there is no mint mark on 1905 pennies.

1905 Indian Head pennies are typical for coins in the series minted after 1864: a composition of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, a diameter of 19mm, and a mass of 3.11g.

Indian Head Penny For Sale On Ebay

Valuing the 1905 Indian Head Penny

Because there were so many of these coins produced, they are still quite common, even in the highest grades. As a result, their value is not typically very high.

That said, Indian Head pennies have a stable market among collectors, and the right grades can be worth a fair bit of money.

For a Good-4 to Very Good-8 grade coin, the value is $2 to $3, and Fine-12 coins are worth $4.64. This range of values is the average for 1905 Indian Head pennies.

The value increases to $6 in Very Fine-20, $10 in Extremely Fine-40, and $21 in About Uncirculated-50. Uncirculated (MS-60) grade coins are worth $38, and Uncirculated (MS-63) coins are worth $57. Proofs can be expected to bring up to $144.

Another important factor that collectors use in valuing Indian Head cents (and copper coins in general) is the color. There are three designations: Brown, Red-Brown, and Red or Full Red. Full Red is the most desirable and valuable color.

This color designation can make quite a difference in value. Whereas a Brown 1905 MS-65 Indian Head is valued at $175, the same coin in Red-Brown is worth $270, and in Red it is worth $750. A Full Red MS-67 Proof is valued at $10,000!

Unfortunately, Full Red coins almost exclusively exist in the highest grades, so they can be difficult to get your hands on. Still, if you think you have such a coin, it would be worthwhile to have it professionally graded by a service such as NGC.