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Collectors Weekly

The Indian Head cent, or Indian Head Penny, was designed by James Barton Longacre and struck from 1859 until 1909. It was minted in both Philadelphia and San Francisco.

The coin featured the head of Lady Liberty, facing left and wearing a Native American headdress with "Liberty" written across the band. The words "United States of America" encircle her. Popular legend has it that Longacre used his young daughter as inspiration for the design, but no proof exists to confirm nor deny this rumor.

For the first year it was struck, the reverse of the Indian Head cent depicted the denomination – the words "one cent" – inside a laurel wreath. The following year, the laurel wr...

The Indian Head penny was produced using the same material as the Flying Eagle cent – a mixture of copper and nickel – until 1864, when the nickel was removed, changing the coin’s color.

Although there are slight variations in design, the images remained virtually the same (excluding the obvious change on the reverse after the first year) until the coin ceased production in 1909.

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Show & Tell

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Recent News: Indian Head Cents

Source: Google News

Wedding band, old coins, earrings among artifacts found in forgotten graveyard
KTVU San Francisco, June 13th

While artifacts are considered rare in a Potter's Field for the poor, the county displayed some recovered there: pipes, buttons, marbles, cufflinks, a pocketknife, a scalpel, an 1882 Indian head penny and silver dimes dated 1902, 1903, 1904 and 1905...Read more

Club Notes
Brattleboro Reformer, June 1st

Anyone reaching into the collectable grab bag and selecting a free Indian Head cent or Buffalo nickel will be able to double their prize if they can say who was president in the year the coin was minted. The Indian Head cents were issued from 1859...Read more

Family, friends recall WWII veteran killed on Memorial Day
Greensboro News & Record, May 28th

Williams said his uncle kept a 1904 Indian head penny with him when he was a prisoner. He put it in his boot so the Germans wouldn't confiscate it. “His mother was born in 1904,” Williams said. “He kept the penny with him as a reminder of home and to...Read more