The Indian head pennies are rare because of their rarity and significance in the history of America.
Updated Feb 11, 2025
Indian Head Penny: Top 10 Most Valued Coins, Value Chart, and Their History
Ranking the value of different types of pennies is more of an impossible task. But when it comes to the most valued coins, the name of the Indian Head Penny would always be on the list, along with the 1944 Wheat Penny and the 1943 Steel Penny.
Due to their rarity and significant role in history, the collection of these coins is highly praised by the numismatics. This has led to the Indian Head pennies being worth rising up to $38,000. Let’s read the article to find out the values of different varieties of the Indian Head pennies.
Overview of Indian Head Penny
Indian head pennies are some of the most famous coins among numismatists, leading to thousands of dollars in the cost of owning one. These pennies first came in 1859 by replacing the flying eagle pennies and stopped minting in 1909. The unique design of the penny mesmerizes numismatists with its fine detailing, similar to the 1945 Wheat Penny .
At the front, the penny has an engraving of a Caucasian Lady Liberty, donning a piece of clothing on the head, which Native Americans traditionally wear. On the other side, the coin has a mint mark below the wreath.
History of Indian Head Penny
Due to the high price of copper and shortages in its availability, the large coins were replaced with the Flying Eagle pennies in 1856. The new coin immediately started facing design issues; even the composition included less than 90% copper.
Considering this, the director of the Mint, James Ross Snowden, composed a letter to replace the Flying Eagle coin with a new design to the Secretary of the Treasury.
The profound effort made a successful change in the history of pennies, resulting in a new penny, named the Indian Head penny, changing the Flying Eagle penny in 1859.
Even this design also faced some controversial issues due to the engraving appearing to be a Caucasian lady in a Native American look. Regardless of this, the penny circulation in the economy did not stop.
How Much Does the Indian Head Cents Worth?
The value of Indian head pennies varies a lot, depending on various factors. These factors include mint marks, error, year of mint, and condition. For example, an MS60-63 graded 1877 Indian head penny can be worth around $5000.
Similarly, the 1888 Last 8 over 7 error coin can value up to $38,000. The reason this coin is so highly valued in the market is because of its minted-year engraving. These coins were minted in 1887 with an engraving of the same year but later struck with the 1888 mark.
Thus, get your Indian head penny checked with a collector to get an estimated value of your coin before selling it.
Indian Head Pennies Value Chart
The condition of the coin is one of the major factors in the evaluation of the worth of any penny. Similarly, the quality grading of the Indian head penny matters a lot. Thus, we have mentioned the estimated values of all the Indian head pennies according to the different grading qualities.
| Date | G-VG | F-VF | EF-AU | MS60-63 |
| 1859 Indian Head Penny | $15-$20 | $25-$60 | $100-$200 | $300-$600 |
| 1860 Indian Head Penny | $10-$15 | $20-$40 | $70-$100 | $200-$280 |
| 1861 Indian Head Penny | $20-$35 | $50-$60 | $100-$200 | $200-$350 |
| 1862 Indian Head Penny | $10-$20 | $20-$30 | $50-$80 | $100-$200 |
| 1863 Indian Head Penny | $10-$20 | $20-$30 | $50-$80 | $100-$200 |
| 1864 Copper-Nickel Indian Head Penny | $20-$30 | $40-$60 | $100-$150 | $200-$300 |
| 1864 Bronze No L Indian Head Penny | $15-$20 | $25-$50 | $75-$100 | $100-$160 |
| 1864 Bronze Indian Head Penny | $70-$100 | $150-$200 | $300-$400 | $450-$650 |
| 1865 Indian Head Penny | $10-$15 | $20-$30 | $50-$70 | $100-$160 |
| 1866 Indian Head Penny | $50-$70 | $80-$100 | $200-$270 | $300-$400 |
| 1867 Indian Head Penny | $50-$75 | $100-$145 | $200-$300 | $300-$440 |
| 1868 Indian Head Penny | $50-$55 | $75-$130 | $180-$230 | $275-$400 |
| 1869 Indian Head Penny | $90-$130 | $250-$350 | $450-$550 | $600-$750 |
| 1869 9 Over 9 Indian Head Penny | $130-$250 | $480-$600 | $780-$900 | $1000-$1200 |
| 1870 Shallow N Indian Head Penny | $80-$100 | $230-$340 | $440-$540 | $590-$1000 |
| 1870 Bold N Indian Head Penny | $60-$80 | $200-$300 | $400-$500 | $540-$940 |
| 1871 Bold N Indian Head Penny | $75-$90 | $250-$380 | $500-$560 | $590-$880 |
| 1871 Shallow N Indian Head Penny | $140-$200 | $350-$500 | $600-$700 | $850-$1000 |
| 1872 Bold N Indian Head Penny | $100-$150 | $300-$400 | $500-$700 | $800-$850 |
| 1872 Shallow N Indian Head Penny | $100-$180 | $400-$450 | $600-$760 | $1000-$1300 |
| 1873 Closed 3 Indian Head Penny | $25-$35 | $70-$130 | $200-$250 | $450-$590 |
| 1873 Double Liberty Indian Head Penny | $200-$380 | $900-$1800 | $2700-$5600 | $8300-$14,000 |
| 1873 Open 3 Indian Head Penny | $20-$35 | $50-$90 | $170-$200 | $270-$360 |
| 1874 Indian Head Penny | $20-$25 | $50-$70 | $100-$160 | $250-$270 |
| 1875 Indian Head Penny | $20-$35 | $65-$80 | $130-$70 | $250-$280 |
| 1876 Indian Head Penny | $35-$45 | $75-$140 | $250-$260 | $330-$400 |
| 1877 Indian Head Penny | $1000-$1200 | $1700-$2200 | $2700-$3400 | $4200-$5000 |
| 1878 Indian Head Penny | $35-$50 | $60-$100 | $200-$300 | $350-$400 |
| 1879 Indian Head Penny | $8-$13 | $20-$40 | $75-$85 | $100-$150 |
| 1880 Indian Head Penny | $5-$7 | $9-$13 | $30-$60 | $85-$140 |
| 1881 Indian Head Penny | $5-$6 | $8-$12 | $25-$35 | $65-$100 |
| 1882 Indian Head Penny | $5-$6 | $8-$12 | $25-$35 | $65-$100 |
| 1883 Indian Head Penny | $5-$6 | $8-$12 | $25-$35 | $65-$100 |
| 1884 Indian Head Penny | $6-$7 | $10-$15 | $30-$45 | $80-$130 |
| 1885 Indian Head Penny | $8-$10 | $15-$30 | $70-$85 | $115-$220 |
| 1886 Type 1 Indian Head Penny | $6-$9 | $20-$50 | $150-$190 | $220-$270 |
| 1886 Type 2 Indian Head Penny | $8-$13 | $25-$80 | $190-$230 | $360-$540 |
| 1887 Indian Head Penny | $3-$4 | $6-$9 | $20-$30 | $60-$90 |
| 1888 Indian Head Penny | $3-$4 | $6-$9 | $20-$30 | $70-$135 |
| 1888 Last 8 over 7 Indian Head Penny | $1250-$1650 | $2200-$3700 | $8300-$19,000 | $24,000-$38,000 |
| 1889 Indian Head Penny | $3-$4 | $6-$8 | $20-$30 | $65-$90 |
| 1890 Indian Head Penny | $3-$4 | $6-$8 | $15-$30 | $65-$90 |
| 1891 Indian Head Penny | $3-$4 | $6-$8 | $15-$30 | $65-$90 |
| 1892 Indian Head Penny | $3-$4 | $6-$8 | $15-$30 | $65-$90 |
| 1893 Indian Head Penny | $3-$4 | $6-$8 | $15-$30 | $65-$90 |
| 1894 Indian Head Penny | $5-$6 | $10-$20 | $50-$70 | $85-$120 |
| 1894 Double Date Indian Head Penny | $30-$40 | $70-$140 | $250-$380 | $600-$1200 |
| 1895 Indian Head Penny | $3-$4 | $6-$9 | $15-$25 | $40-$70 |
| 1896 Indian Head Penny | $3-$4 | $6-$9 | $15-$25 | $40-$70 |
| 1897 Indian Head Penny | $3-$4 | $6-$9 | $15-$25 | $40-$70 |
| 1898 Indian Head Penny | $3-$4 | $6-$9 | $15-$25 | $40-$70 |
| 1899 Indian Head Penny | $3-$4 | $6-$9 | $15-$25 | $40-$70 |
| 1900 Indian Head Penny | $2-$3 | $5-$6 | $10-$20 | $40-$60 |
| 1901 Indian Head Penny | $2-$3 | $5-$6 | $10-$20 | $40-$60 |
| 1902 Indian Head Penny | $2-$3 | $5-$6 | $10-$20 | $40-$60 |
| 1903 Indian Head Penny | $2-$3 | $5-$6 | $10-$20 | $40-$60 |
| 1904 Indian Head Penny | $2-$3 | $5-$6 | $10-$20 | $40-$60 |
| 1905 Indian Head Penny | $2-$3 | $5-$6 | $10-$20 | $40-$60 |
| 1906 Indian Head Penny | $2-$3 | $5-$6 | $10-$20 | $40-$60 |
| 1907 Indian Head Penny | $2-$3 | $5-$6 | $10-$20 | $40-$60 |
| 1908 Indian Head Penny | $2-$3 | $5-$6 | $10-$20 | $40-$60 |
| 1908-S Indian Head Penny | $100-$115 | $135-$155 | $190-$270 | $320-$440 |
| 1909 Indian Head Penny | $10-$15 | $20-$22 | $25-$30 | $50-$70 |
| 1909-S Indian Head Penny | $590-$640 | $730-$790 | $915-$1000 | $1100-$1200 |
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10 Most Valuable Indian Head Pennies
The Indian Head pennies are some of the most valued coins among numismatics. Here are the top 10 highest-valued Indian Head pennies:
- 1888 Last 8 Over 7: Due to the marking of 1888 over the 1887 mark, this coin is the highest-valued Indian Head penny.
- 1873 Double Liberty: You can easily identify this coin with the double engraving of the word “LIBERTY” on the headband.
- 1877: Only 800,000 coins were minted in the year 1877, which makes this a rare penny to find.
- 1872 Shallow N: The reason for the high value of this coin is its three-dimensional shallow N engraving of “ONE CENT” in the back. The character N blends with the background.
- 1909-S: This is the last minted penny series of the iconic penny series, the Indian Head, making it enlisted in this list.
- 1869 9 Over 9: The coin is valued high among the numismatics due to 9 struck over the 9, which can be easily visible with the naked eye.
- 1894 Double Date: Because of the double engraving of the year, these pennies can be valued up to thousands of dollars.
- 1871 Shallow N: Similar to 1872 Shallow N pennies, these coins also have a shallow N engraving, which increases their demand among numismatics.
- 1871 Bold N: This coin has a high value due to its bold N engraving on the words “ONE” and “CENT” on the reverse.
- 1870 Bold N: Similar to the 1871 Bold N penny, this penny also has bold N engraved on the reverse face.
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Wrapping Up
The Indian Head Cents value can vary depending on a combination of various factors like condition, design error, and variation. All the aforementioned factors and values will help you get an estimation of your Indian Head pennies. So, carefully read the article and make sure to get your penny checked by trusted sellers before selling the coin.
Author - Suprabha Bhosale
Finance Writer
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