1863 Indian Head Penny As part of Civil War-era coins, the 1863 Indian Head Penny is especially sought after by collectors. These coins are sought after further because they are made with a special copper-nickel alloy that was only used during the Civil War. This special alloy makes Civil War-era Indian Heads heavier than other editions. The Indian Head cent, also known as an Indian Head penny, was a one cent coin produced by the United States Bureau of the Mint from 1859 to 1909. It was designed by James Barton Longacre, the Chief Engraver at the Philadelphia Mint. For collectors, the Indian Head Cent.
- 1863 Indian Head Pennies
Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez
Coin Info
N/A
United States
Copper Coin
$0.01 USD
49,840,460
U.S. Mint
1863 Indian Head Penny Error
1863
1863 Indian Head cents were made with a copper-nickel alloy, which is fairly unusual for a denomination much more associated with the later bronze composition. This copper-nickel composition makes for a much more whitish appearance than many collectors would be accustomed to on the penny. 1863 would be the last full year that this composition was used, as in 1864 the U.S. Mint began using the bronze composition.
1863 Indian Head pennies were struck in huge quantities, with some 49,840,000 business strikes made; this means the 1863 penny is the most common of all copper-nickel Indian Head pennies, and this fact is seen in the price of Good-4 specimens, which sell for as little as $9 – about half the amount of some other copper-nickel Indian Head pennies.
460 proof 1863 pennies were made, and these are valued at around $3,100. Most Indian Head penny collectors vie for the business strikes to include in albums and series sets. The 1863 is also a popular choice for type set coin collectors who want an example of a copper-nickel Indian Head cent. For the most part, you should have little difficulty in finding nicely worn pieces, but do be sure to avoid corroded or specimens or those showing other signs of damage.
Other Years From This Coin Series
Latest Blog Posts
Latest Blog Posts
The Indian Head Cent was produced from 1859 to 1909, following the very short lived Flying Eagle Cent series. During the Indian Head Cent’s run, coins were produced primarily at the Philadelphia Mint, with the final two years also produced at the San Francisco Mint. The series includes a change of the reverse design following the first year and a change in composition which took place during 1864.
The lowest mintage coin is the 1909-S at just 309,000 pieces. Another important date of the series is the 1877 Indian Head Cent, which had a reported mintage of 852,500.
1863 Indian Head Penny Varieties
The table below contains the complete mintage figures for the Indian Head Cent coins.
1863 Indian Head Penny For Sale
1859 | 36,400,000 |
1860 | 20,566,000 |
1861 | 10,100,000 |
1862 | 28,075,000 |
1863 | 49,840,000 |
1864 (Copper) | 13,740,000 |
1864 (Bronze) | 39,233,714 |
1865 | 35,429,286 |
1866 | 9,826,500 |
1867 | 9,821,000 |
1868 | 10,266,500 |
1869 | 6,420,000 |
1870 | 5,275,000 |
1871 | 3,929,500 |
1872 | 4,042,000 |
1873 | 11,676,500 |
1874 | 14,187,500 |
1875 | 13,528,000 |
1876 | 7,944,000 |
1877 | 852,500 |
1878 | 5,799,850 |
1879 | 16,231,200 |
1880 | 38,964,955 |
1881 | 39,211,575 |
1882 | 38,581,100 |
1883 | 45,589,109 |
1884 | 23,261,742 |
1885 | 11,765,384 |
1886 | 17,654,290 |
1887 | 45,226,483 |
1888 | 37,494,414 |
1889 | 48,869,361 |
1890 | 57,182,854 |
1891 | 47,072,350 |
1892 | 37,649,832 |
1893 | 46,642,195 |
1894 | 16,752,132 |
1895 | 38,343,636 |
1896 | 39,057,293 |
1897 | 50,466,330 |
1898 | 49,823,079 |
1899 | 53,600,031 |
1900 | 66,833,794 |
1901 | 79,611,143 |
1902 | 87,376,722 |
1903 | 85,094,493 |
1904 | 61,328,015 |
1905 | 80,719,163 |
1906 | 96,022,255 |
1907 | 108,138,618 |
1908 | 32,327,987 |
1908-S | 1,115,000 |
1909 | 14,370,645 |
1909-S | 309,000 |