1860 Indian Head Penny

The 1860 Indian Head Penny marks another notable change in the design of the one cent coin. While the face stayed the same, the reverse side was altered. The laurel wreath was replaced with an oak wreath and a shield was added to the top. Some historians suggest that this change was made in order to present a more “national” coin and to fully separate the country from its European roots.

The 1860 Indian Head Penny was manufactured using a combination of 88% copper and 12% nickel. The government mandated the size, weight and composition of the one cent coin in order to keep production costs low and make it feasible to phase out traditional gold and silver coins in favor of a national currency. This design gives the coin more of a white appearance than collectors may be used to seeing in later pennies.

Design Variations

While major design changes were made to the reverse of the coin, during 1860, the Mint also made minor changes to the bust. The first version features a pointed bust that has a tip that clearly aligns with the “U” in United States of America. At some point, the bust was rounded and this thicker version points down to the date. The pointed bust version tends to sell for more.