1906 Indian Head Penny Value: Are Mintmarks Not Worth Money? (2023)

FAQs

Did Indian head pennies have mint marks? ›

Mint Marks

Indian Head pennies were produced at two different mints: Philadelphia (no mint mark), and San Francisco (S). San Francisco only minted Indian head pennies in 1908 and 1909. The mint mark is located on the reverse of the coin, just below the wreath.

USA Coin Book Estimated Value of 1906 Indian Head Penny is Worth $3.30 in Average Condition and can be Worth $42 to $63 or more in Uncirculated (MS+) Mint Condition. Proof Coins can be Worth $160 or more.

This 1906 Indian Head penny has an interesting error known as a “repunched date,” which means that the date on the coin was struck twice, on top of each other, causing one to be misaligned.

Currently Indian coins are minted in four locations, Mumbai, Noida, Hyderabad, Kolkata. Each coin has unique shape right below the year that helps identify which city it was minted in Mumbai is represented by a diamond, Delhi by a dot, Hyderabad by a Star, and Kolkata mint has no mark at all.

The most valuable Indian Head Penny is the one that has a date of 1877. Nevertheless, they're all valuable in their own right and any collector would be lucky to have one.

A mint mark is the marking on the face side of a coin that indicates where it was created. A coin with a letter “P” indicates it was made in Philadelphia, according to the United States Mint.

Nearly 6 million of these rare Indian Head pennies were minted, so if your grandparents collected coins, it's totally possible one of these is hidden at the bottom of a jar. In average condition, it's worth about $50, but uncirculated mint condition coins are worth over $400.

Simply soak the coins overnight, and gently rinse with distilled water in the morning. If the coin is unrecognizable after soaking, don't go any further! The risk of damage is too great, particularly if the coin is ancient. The safest thing to do is take it to a professional.

How can you tell if an Indian head penny is real? ›

The most obvious sign of a bad fake is the shape of the numerals in the date. Often times, the digits are uneven, distorted, and plain horrible. Other fakes are much more convincing and can only be identified by looking for die markers. Other give-always tend to be the color and quality of the planchets.

This created two varieties in 1864: “No L” and “With L.” The No L is the more common of the two, with the “With L” a scarcer variety that goes for around $50 and up in circulated grades. Indian Head cents from 1880 on are generally much more common.

The 1900 Indian Head Penny is extremely attractive to collectors simply because it is the coin that bridges two centuries of Indian Head production. Even in poor condition, these coins will go for a price that far exceeds face value.

Edward VII, Penny 1906 Very Good

In fact, the coins of Edward VII were only issued from 1902 to 1910, but that also means that all of his coins are over 100 years old.

Tilt the coin from side to side under a good light. If the mint luster on the high points is unbroken, then the coin is uncirculated. If there is wear, then it is not uncirculated. As mentioned earlier, some Indian Head pennies were difficult to strike up properly.

The Philadelphia mint minted 1,475 Indian head proof pennies in 1907. Such a low mintage makes these coins rare, particularly in the highest grades. While specimens with brown toning cost approximately $110 to $1,980, red-brown-toned pieces are always more costly.

The current mint marks on United States coinage are P, D, S, and W for the 4 currently operating US Mints. The letter P is used for the Philadelphia Mint, D for the Denver Mint, S for the San Francisco Mint, and W for the West Point Mint.

A mint mark is a letter or other symbol that identifies the mint at which a given coin was made. On most U.S. coins, the mint mark will be a D (for the Denver or Dahlonega mint), an S (for San Francisco), P was used (for Philadelphia), CC (for Carson City.) or a W (for West Point).

A 1903 Indian Head penny is considered rare due to its market scarcity. There were only 85 million coins minted in 1903, making them much rarer than other dates.

Reputable coin dealers, Coin Auctions, eBay, and Price Guides are great places to start. If your coins are graded by one of the Top Tier grading services like PCGS or NGC, you can usually get a reasonable value estimate sight-unseen!

Why do some of my pennies not have a mint mark? ›

No mint marks appeared on circulating coins from 1965 to 1967. The Coinage Act of 1965 eliminated mint marks to discourage collecting while the Mint worked to meet the country's coinage needs. Mint marks were placed on the reverse of coins until 1968 when they moved to the obverse.

Millions and millions of coins have been struck over the years at the Philadelphia Mint with no mintmarks. This is normal and rarely adds value given the large mintages at this important coin-minting facility.

Mint stopped using nickel in the production of Indian Head pennies and changed to a bronze composition, consisting of 95 percent copper and 5 percent tin and zinc. Over 13 million 1864 dated pennies were minted using the copper and nickel composition.

So for the past 30 years, pennies have been made with an alloy comprised of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper, but pennies minted before 1982 are 95% copper and 5% zinc. The price of copper has more than quadrupled over the past 10 years.

Most coin experts have since come out against cleaning coins, as doing so can negatively affect them both in grade and value. If a potentially valuable coin must be cleaned (for example if the coin is deformed) then professional work is recommended.

According to coin experts, cleaning any potentially collectible coins might cause them to lose value. Using chemical cleaners or scrubbing the coins could leave scratches and marks that will be easy for a skilled appraiser to pick up on.

We took them out and wiped each one off on a paper towel. You can see the surface of the pennies change and become shinier. You can then rinse them with running water and set them on a towel to dry. Vinegar and lemon juice both work really well for cleaning pennies.

The Indian Head Penny, struck from 1859 to 1909, is one of America's most popular coins. You can now own the first year of issue Indian Head Penny minted in 1859 over 150 years ago. This handsome coin designed by James Barton Longacre is housed in a beautiful blue display box.

How can you tell if you have a gold penny? ›

The 'ping' test, as this is commonly known, allows us to tell if a coin is made from real or fake gold by listening to the sound it makes when struck. Precious metals will make a long, high-pitched ringing sound when struck as opposed to base metals, whose respective sounds will be duller and much shorter.

For example, the Indian Head Penny and the Wheat Penny are both considered lucky because of their rarity and higher value. The Indian Head Penny was in circulation from 1859 – 1909 when the Wheat Penny was introduced.

The fatty Indian Head Penny refers to pennies minted from 1854-1864 when the pennies had a bigger diameter and were thicker. The 1856-1858 Flying Eagle Cents are also “Fatty” pennies.

The 1900 version of this coin specifically was minted in Philadelphia only, so you don't see a mint mark on it like other coins.

Simpson, co-chairman of the Texas Rangers baseball club, paid $1 million for the finest known 1943-S Lincoln Wheat cent on a bronze planchet. All 1943 Lincoln cents were supposed to be made of steel planchets coated with zinc. However, some bronze planchets left over from 1942 slipped into the production process.

The easiest way to determine if a 1943 cent is made of steel, and not copper, is to use a magnet. If it sticks to the magnet, it is not copper. If it does not stick, the coin might be of copper and should be authenticated by an expert.

The most obvious sign of a bad fake is the shape of the numerals in the date. Often times, the digits are uneven, distorted, and plain horrible. Other fakes are much more convincing and can only be identified by looking for die markers. Other give-always tend to be the color and quality of the planchets.

1908 was the first year when Indian Head Pennies were coined in San Francisco, so the mint mark was placed on the reverse of the coin. The S Mint Mark is placed towards the bottom rim of the coin. It sits below the bow of the ribbon that's wrapped around those three arrows.

No mint marks appeared on circulating coins from 1965 to 1967. The Coinage Act of 1965 eliminated mint marks to discourage collecting while the Mint worked to meet the country's coinage needs. Mint marks were placed on the reverse of coins until 1968 when they moved to the obverse.

With the 1877 Indian Head cent, the most important diagnostic feature appears on the reverse. On a genuine coin, the bottom right of the N in ONE and the top left of the N in CENT should be much weaker than the rest of the denomination.

Are any of the Indian Head pennies worth anything? ›

Nearly 6 million of these rare Indian Head pennies were minted, so if your grandparents collected coins, it's totally possible one of these is hidden at the bottom of a jar. In average condition, it's worth about $50, but uncirculated mint condition coins are worth over $400.

No matter the circumstance, there's never a good reason to clean an uncirculated or proof coin. Even if there is adhesive residue stuck to it, fingerprints, stains or discoloring, leave it alone! Bring it to a professional to remove anything.

The San Francisco Mint produced the coin in 1909 but only struck 484,000 coins. The coin's limited mintage and superb quality render it among the most sought-after Lincoln wheat cents. Based on its state, the 1909-S VDB penny's worth ranges from several hundred to over $1,000.

The 1910 no mint mark Lincoln penny can be worth anywhere from 35 cents to $10 depending on its condition, and the 1910 “S” Lincoln penny can be worth up to $80 or more in uncirculated condition.

How much is a 1943 no mint mark wheat penny worth? A 1943 wheat penny with no mint mark, Philadelphia mint, is the most common of the 1943 pennies and is worth around 15 cents in average condition and up to a few dollars for nongraded coins in fine condition.

The reverse side of the Indian Head Penny is quite basic, and features a wreath surrounding the “one cent” face value. For the first two years of production, you will find this basic design on the reverse side, but by 1860 the coin's reverse was updated.

Tilt the coin from side to side under a good light. If the mint luster on the high points is unbroken, then the coin is uncirculated. If there is wear, then it is not uncirculated. As mentioned earlier, some Indian Head pennies were difficult to strike up properly.