The Indian Head cent, known as Indian Head pennies, was a one-cent coin made from 1859 to 1909 by the US Mint. James Barton Longacre made the design of these coins, who was chief engraver at the Philadelphia Mint. The copper metal was used for the creation of cents from 1793 to 1857, and their size was like half a dollar. Due to the high prices of copper, they reduced the size of a cent in 1857 and also changed the composition to 12 percent nickel and 88 percent copper.
The 1863 Indian penny is also part of these coins, and here we will learn the features and other parameters of these coins, so let’s get started with how much an 1863 Indian Head penny is worth.
1863 Indian Head Penny Value Chart
| Grade | 1863 No Mint mark penny | 1863 No Mint Mark Indian Head Proof Penny Value |
1863 No Mint Mark Indian Head Proof Penny Value (CAM)
|
| Good | $17.50 | ||
| Very good | $25 | ||
| Fine | $35 | ||
| Very fine | $60 | ||
| Extra fine | $80 | ||
| AU | $95 | ||
| MS 60 | $180 | ||
| MS 63 | $375 | $998 | $1,280 |
| MS64 | $715 | $1,800 | $1,950 |
| MS65 | $1,550 | $2,850 | $4,500 |
| MS66 | $3,120 | $6,000 | $10,000 |
| MS67 | $22,500 | $17,300 | $33,600 |
1863 Indian Penny History
In 1959 the Philadelphia Mint made Indian head pennies in place of the flying eagle design. James B. Longacre designed the coins. This coin comes with a photo of LIBERTY wearing a feathered headdress. These coins’ mintage continued when the design changed in 1909 to the Lincoln Pennies. 1909 is the last year when penny real images were added in place of imaginary images on coins. The first coins made in 1859 came with a laurel wreath and without a shield on the backside. With some minor changes, design was used until for years. The weight of pennies reduced in 1864, where copper with a high percentage was added. 1863 is the last series of original coins.
| Mint | Mint Mark | Mitage |
| Philadelphia | 1863 No Mint mark penny | 49,840,000 |
| Philadelphia | 1863 No Mint mark penny proof | 460 to 1,000 |
| Total | / | up to 49,841,000 |
1863 Indian Head Penny Grading
| Number | Grade |
| 1 | Basal State-1 |
| 2 | Fair |
| 3 | Very Fair |
| 4, 5, 2006 | Good |
| 7, 8, 10 | Very Good |
| 12, 15 | Fine |
| 20, 30 | Very Fine |
| 40 |
Extremely Fine
|
| 50 |
About Uncirculated
|
| 60 | Mint State |
| 65 | Mint State |
| 70 | Mint State |
1863 Indian Head Penny Features
Obverse of 1863 Indian Head Penny
The 1863 Indian cent front side comes with Lady Liberty having flowing hair that is wearing a pearl necklace and Indian headdress. There are rumors that the photo on the coin is Longacre’s daughter. The main controversial thing is that a female comes with a conventional Indian headdress on her head that warriors used to earn the tribe’s respect.
1863 Indian Head Penny Reverse
The reverse side of Indian head pennies comes with a laurel wreath, and it is replaced with some changes, and the 1863 Indian head comes with an oak wreath having the upper part covered with a heraldic shield. The arrows on the lower part are showing efforts as symbols, and the new wreath is a symbol of authority. The ONE CENT denomination added.
Some other features of 1863 Indian Head pennies are
- Its face value is one cent and made with copper (88%) with nickel (12%).
- The diameter of the coin is 19.05 mm, and its weight is 4.67 g.
- The thickness of the coin is 1.55 mm and has a plain edge.
- It has a round shape.
1863 Indian Head Penny Value Details
- Type: Indian Head, Shield Reverse
- Mints: Philadelphia
- Total Mintage: 49,840,460
- Mass: 4.67 grams
- Edge: Plain
- Composition: 0.880 Copper; 0.120 Nickel
- Diameter: 19 mm
- Obverse Design: Native American in Full Headdress
- Reverse Design: A Laurel Wreath around the ONE CENT inscription
- Designer: James B. Longacre
1863 Indian Head Penny Grading
| Number | Grading |
|---|---|
| 1 | Basal State-1 |
| 2 | Fair |
| 3 | Very Fair |
| 4, 5, 6 | Good |
| 7, 8, 10 | Very Good |
| 12, 15 | Fine |
| 20, 30 | Very Fine |
| 40 | Extremely Fine |
| 50 | About Uncirculated |
| 60 | MS |
| 65 | MS |
| 70 | MS |
1863 No Mint Mark Indian Head Penny Value
The Philadelphia mint made about 49,840,000 Indian head pennies in 1963. Most of these coins are in circulation. The value of these coins for good grade is 8.50 dollars. These coins are only made by P mint, and D and S minted coins do not exist.
About uncirculated coins are of $90 to $143.50. 1863 Indian penny with an MS 67 grade has a value of $12,500 to $18,750, and it sold for $24,000 in the 2021 auction. Value of 1863 pennies for different grades is as
- MS 60= $180
- MS 61 = $200
- MS 62 = $300
- MS 63 = $400
- MS 64 = $600
- MS 65 = $1,200 to $2,000
1863 proof Indian Head penny value
There were S and D minted, not pennies, not made in 1963, and P mint made 1863 Indian Headproof pennies, about 1000. Due to low mintage, these coins are rare, and for a PR60 grade, they can be about 425 dollars. PR67 grade 1863 pennies are rare and have a value about 160,000 dollars, and a coin with this grade sold for 12,705 dollars in 2001.
The 1863 PR 65 Indian cent with DCAM quality won an auction record of $16,800 in 2019. On the other hand, one collector purchased the one with cameo contrast in PR 67 grade for $28,800 at Heritage Auctions held on November 22, 2020.
PR1 and is a Proof 65 Deep Cameo sold in a 2019 auction for 16800 dollars. PR65 Deep Cameo 1863 Indian head penny sold for 15275 in 2017. Some other grade 1863 proof coins are
- PR 61 = $675 for cents graded PR 61
- PR 62 = $700
- PR 63 = $1,500
- PR 64 = $1,800
- PR 65 = $2,350
- PR 66 = $5
1863 Indian Head Penny Errors List
1863 Penny Die cap error
In this error, they already hit the penny strike on the die and made an impression on the coin. Due to repeated striking, design was affected, and this coin looks like a bottle cap. These coins are rare and difficult to find. The 1863 ‘Deep Obverse Die Cap’ penny MS 65 sold for 18,000 dollars in the 2020 auction.
1863 Indian Head Penny Struck Through Error
This error occurs when any external component struck between the die and planchet at the time of the minting process. As a result, an impression of that object is seen on the penny surface. The value of the 1863 penny is based on error conditions and occurrence.
Off-center Error
During coin design printing, it was not aligned properly, and the design not accurately printed in the middle of the coins, which made some off-center errors. The value of coins is based on the percentage off-center. 10 to 15 percent off-center coins are low value, and more than 50 percent off-center can be high value.
The 15 percent off-center 1863 off-center error coin is about 495 dollars.
1863 penny Doubled die reverse
This error occurs when double design is printed on coins, and double effect can be seen on different parts of coins on the reverse side and is called the 1863 double die reverse error. MS62 grade with this error sold in 2023 for 1560 dollars.
1863 RPM Error or Misplaced Date
In the 19th century, manual minting of coins was done, and during manual date minting on coins, inaccurate printing of dates and again-punched minting years made RPM error coins, which were sold for 168 dollars in 2022.
Sometimes minting data is not punched to the accurate position of coins and makes misplaced date coins with errors sold for 259 dollars with an AU55 grade.
Most valuable 1863 Indian Head Penny
- 1863 PR 67 Indian CAM cent= sold in for $28,800
- 1863 PR 67 Indian cent= sold in 2001 for $12,075
- 1863 MS 67 Indian cent= sold on April 25, 2021 for $24,000
- 1863 PR 65 Indian DCAM cent= sold in2019 for $16,80
- 1863 MS 61 Indian cent with RPD = sold in 2022 for $168
- 1863 MS 62 Indian cent with DDR = sold in 2023 for $1,560
- 1863 AU 55 Indian cent with MPD = sold in 2016 for $259
FAQS
Which Indian Head Penny is most valueable?
In 1864 indian head penny with L on the ribbon with PR65 proof was made that sold for $161,000 in 2011. That is the most valuable pennies. Some other are
- 1877 Indian Head MS 66 = sold for $149,500 in 2007
- 1902 Indian Head MS 68 red = sold for $144,000 in 2022
- 1872 Indian Head MS 66 cent = sold for $126,500 in 2007
| Indian Head Penny Year | Indian Head Penny Errors Type | Indian Head Penny Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1896 | proof Indian head penny | $12,000 |
| 1897 | Repunched Date Indian head penny | $30,000 |
| 1898 | Struck Off-Center Indian head penny | $1,500 |
| 1899 | Reverse Cud Indian Head Penny | $150 |
How much is the Indian Head Penny worth?
- Value for different indian head pennies are
| DATE | GOOD | FINE | EXTREMELY FINE | UNCIRCULATED |
| 1859 Indian Head Penny | $15 | $25 | $110 | $200 |
| 1860 Indian Head Penny | $10 | $20 | $65 | $100 |
| 1861 Indian Head Penny | $25 | $45 | $110 | $175 |
| 1862 Indian Head Penny | $10 | $20 | $50 | $75 |
| 1863 Indian Head Penny | $10 | $20 | $50 | $75 |
| 1864 Indian Head Penny | $20 | $40 | $100 | $150 |
| 1865 Indian Head Penny | $15 | $25 | $45 | $65 |
| 1866 Indian Head Penny | $50.00 | $80.00 | $190.00 | $250.00 |
| 1867 Indian Head Penny | $50.00 | $90.00 | $230.00 | $275.00 |
| 1868 Indian Head Penny | $40.00 | $70.00 | $170.00 | $220.00 |
| 1869 Indian Head Penny | $85.00 | $235.00 | $445.00 | $550.00 |
| 1870 Indian Head Penny | $80 | $220.00 | $400 | $500 |
| 1871 Indian Head Penny | $130.00 | $325.00 | $575 | $650 |
How many 1863 Indian head pennies were made?
| Year | Mint | Mintage |
|---|---|---|
| 1863 | (P) | 49,840,000 |
What is a 1863 penny made of?
The 1863 Indian Head pennies are important for collectors due to their composition, which is made with 88% copper and 12% nickel, or copper-nickel-copper alloy. That was used at the time of the Civil War. Their high weight makes these coins highly sought after for collectors as compared to other Indian Head Pennies.