1864 Indian Head Cent Base

About This Coin

The 1864 Indian Head Cent Base is a United States cent from the Indian Head Cents 1859-1909 series — an early issue, 6th of 51 years in the series. In 1864, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 92.2 million. This ranks 49th 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 an oak wreath with a shield at the top, enclosing ONE CENT. Composition changed from copper-nickel to bronze due to Civil War metal shortages. The "L" initial for Longacre first appears on the ribbon, creating two major varieties. Struck in 88% copper, 12% nickel, 19 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Collectors have cataloged 41 known die varieties for this date across 6 categories, including bisecting rim to rim die crack, cud, doubled die obverse and 3 other types. Across its variants, estimated values range from $30 to $37K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $129K in PR66 grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by James Barton Longacre.