1909 Indian Head Cent Base

About This Coin

The 1909 Indian Head Cent Base is a United States cent from the Indian Head Cents 1859-1909 series — the final year of the series. In 1909, coins were struck at the Philadelphia and San Francisco Mints with a combined mintage of 14.7 million. This ranks 14th 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. The final year of the Indian Head Cent before being replaced by the Lincoln Cent. The 1909-S is the key San Francisco date. Struck in 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc, weighing 3.11 grams, 19 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Collectors have cataloged 35 known die varieties for this date across 5 categories, including cud, master die doubling obverse, retained cud and 2 other types. Across its variants, estimated values range from $12 to $1.6K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $3.6K in MS64BN grade at Stack's Bowers. Designed by James Barton Longacre.