1859 Indian Head Cent Base

About This Coin

The 1859 Indian Head Cent Base is a United States cent from the Indian Head Cents 1859-1909 series — the first year of the series. In 1859, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 77.9 million. This ranks 44th of 51 years by total mintage, above the series median of 39.0 million. The obverse features Liberty wearing a feathered headdress, often misidentified as a Native American — actually represents Liberty adorned with a chief's war bonnet and the reverse displays a laurel wreath enclosing ONE CENT, without the shield. The only year with the laurel wreath reverse — all subsequent years feature the oak wreath with shield design. Weighing 4.7 grams, with a plain edge. Collectors have identified 3 known die varieties for this date, including cud. Across its variants, estimated values range from $19 to $2.3K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $35K in MS66+ grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by James Barton Longacre.