Many readers are curious about their Indian Head penny values.
The Indian Head penny was designed by U.S. Mint Chief Engraver James B. Longacre — who designed many popular coins during his tenure at the Mint from 1844 through 1869.
Indian Head cents were first struck in 1859 and they circulated for many years after the last ones were made in 1909.
Through the years, lots of people hung onto their Indian Head pennies — storing them away in drawers, boxes, and trunks.
These days, millions of Indian Head pennies can be found in old estates, and many people receive Indian Head pennies as family heirlooms which are passed on down through the generations.
To help answer your questions, here’s a little about the value of Indian Head pennies…
Indian Head Penny Values
Indian Head pennies were struck by the hundreds of millions. Therefore, as a coin series, they are not rare.
In fact, many dates in the Indian Head penny series are worth less than $3 to $5 in typical, circulated condition.
Prices increase upwards of $35 to $50 and up for uncirculated examples of common Indian Head pennies.
Most Indian Head pennies struck during the 1880s on through the early 1900s are, in fact, the most commonly encountered Indian Head pennies and are generally worth the least.
While Indian Head pennies are generally not considered rare, there are scarce dates of Indian Head pennies worth keeping an eye open for! These scarce dates range in value from $25 up to hundreds of dollars apiece.
Rare Indian Head Pennies Worth Collecting
So, which are the scarce Indian Head pennies you should be on the lookout for?
Consider these:
| Year | Value | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| 1864 Indian Head Penny with “L” on Ribbon | $47 to $500 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1866 | $43 to $320 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1867 | $42 to $350 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1868 | $35 to $325 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1869 | $65 to $650 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1870 | $40 to $775 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1871 | $55 to $700 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1872 | $80 to $1,000 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1873 Doubled Liberty Indian Head Penny | $150 to $12,000 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1877 | $700 to $4,000 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1878 | $25 to $320 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1888 Over 7 Indian Head Penny | $1,000 to $45,000 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1894 Doubled Date Indian Head Penny | $20 to $500 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1908-S Indian Head Penny | $70 to $325 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1909-S Indian Head Penny | $365 to $1,000 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
Did you know the color of an Indian Head penny affects its value? Here are some more interesting facts about Indian Head pennies!
Common-Date Indian Head Penny Values
Now, you may be wondering what your Indian Head penny is worth if it is not one of the scarcest specimens mentioned above.
What are Indian Head penny values, if dated from the 1880s through the 1900s and not well-worn?
What if you have an earlier Indian Head cent that you don’t see above?
The following list of Indian Head penny values includes all of the other coins in the series — so if you don’t find the value of your Indian Head cent above, you should find it here:
| Year | Value | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| 1859 | $11 to $500 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1861 | $18 to $300 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1862 | $8 to $170 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1863 | $8 to $175 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1864 Copper-nickel | $16 to $275 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1864 Bronze No “L” | $12 to $125 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1865 | $11 to $130 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1873 Open 3 | $15 to $300 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1873 Closed 3 | $18 to $500 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1874 | $15 to $200 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1875 | $15 to $200 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1876 | $25 to $475 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1879 | $6 to $115 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1880 | $3 to $115 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1881 | $2.50 to $75 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1882 | $2.50 to $75 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1883 | $2.50 to $75 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1884 | $2.50 to $100 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1885 | $5 to $160 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1886 Variety 1 | $4 to 200 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1886 Variety 2 | $5 to 420 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1887 | $1.50 to $60 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1888 | $1.50 to $100 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1889 | $1.50 to $60 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1890 | $1.50 to $60 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1891 | $1.50 to $60 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1892 | $1.50 to $60 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1893 | $1.50 to $60 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1894 | $2 to $100 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1895 | $1.50 to $50 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1896 | $1.50 to $50 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1897 | $1.50 to $50 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1898 | $1.50 to $50 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1899 | $1.50 to $50 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1900 | $1 to $45 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1901 | $1 to $45 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1902 | $1 to $45 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1903 | $1 to $45 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1904 | $1 to $45 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1905 | $1 to $45 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1906 | $1 to $45 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1907 | $1 to $45 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1908 | $1 to $45 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
| 1909 | $1 to $45 | Good to Mint-State 63 |
See the latest prices for Indian Head cents.
I’m the Coin Editor here at TheFunTimesGuide. My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. I primarily collect and study U.S. coins produced during the 20th century.
I’m a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) and have won multiple awards from the NLG for my work as a coin journalist. I’m also the editor at the Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine), and author of Images of America: The United States Mint in Philadelphia (a book that explores the colorful history of the Philadelphia Mint). I’ve contributed hundreds of articles for various coin publications including COINage, The Numismatist, Numismatic News, Coin Dealer Newsletter, Coin Values, and CoinWeek.
I’ve authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins (many of them with over 50K shares), and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below!
