1886 Indian Head Cent Base

About This Coin

The 1886 Indian Head Cent Base is a United States cent from the Indian Head Cents 1859-1909 series — 28th of 51 years in the series. In 1886, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 35.3 million. This ranks 22nd of 51 years by total mintage, below 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. Two obverse varieties exist (Type 1 and Type 2) distinguished by the position of the last feather relative to "N" in ONE CENT. Struck in 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc, weighing 3.11 grams, 19 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Collectors have identified 2 known die varieties for this date, including cud. Produced 9 years after the celebrated 1877 key date. Across its variants, estimated values range from $15 to $666 depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $11K in PR68BN grade at Legend Rare Coin Auctions. Designed by James Barton Longacre.