Indian Cents - History and Grading

The Indian Head cent is one of the most revered coins in US History and it remains a popular collector item. The design was created by James Longacre who also worked at the US mint as an engraver. The portrait of the Indian cent is of an Indian girl wearing a headdress. The words LIBERTY are located on the headband of the headdress and it is these letters that are associated most with the grading of this coin.
In 1859, the reverse of the coin only contained the wreath and then in 1860 a shield was added to the reverse.
From 1859 through 1864 Indian cents were geprised of nickel and copper. In 1865 the alloy of the coin's content was changed to 95% copper and 5% tin which continued into the Lincoln cent series.
Of all the years minted the most difficult coin to locate is the 1877 cent with a very low mintage making it the most valuable Indian cent.
The ANA standards for grading are shown below and as a seller of coins SMCcoins is a dedicated member and author for the ANA.
Good - No letters in the head band are visible. The coin is worn but all of the other lettering is clearly visible.
Very Good - Three letters on the head band must clearly show.
Fine - All of the letters in LIBERTY must show but there will be significant wear.
Very Fine - The details of the coin are clear and concise. The letters in LIBERTY are very clear with little wear.
Extra Fine - Wear on the coin is restricted to the highest points. The word LIBERTY will be very sharp with small wear spots.
The semi-key Indian cents are considered to be dated from 1866 through 1876, 1878, 1908-Sand 1909-S. The key in series as mentioned above is the 1877 coin. gemon dated Indian cents can still be purchased at a reasonable cost in grades below un-circulated. The most gemon dated Indian cents are from 1886 through 1909. Most of gemon dated coins can easily be obtained on okay for $3-$4 in the lowest grades and this may be a good start to forming a collection.
If you need to know a value you can purchase a copy of the WHITE book from SMCcoins sold on okay and Barnes and Noble or you can simply write us at USCOINBOOKon aol