Hi all. I am new to the group from New Jersey. I have an 1863 Indian Head penny with a laurel wreath on the backside and no shield. I was under the understanding that the laurel wreath/ no shield was only minted in 1959. Any help would be appreciated.
Almost looks like a maverick civil war token (or CWT) made in the likeness of an Indian cent, since small change was getting scarce by the middle of the civil war, hence all those cwts made.
It looks similar to Civil War Token Fuld-87/356 a with "NOT" removed. That was a common practice with Civil War Tokens and earlier with Hard Times Tokens. Alternatively a different die could have been used for the reverse, as this was a quite common design. 1863 Indian Head / NOT ONE CENT. Fuld-87/356 a. Rarity-1. Copper. Plain Edge. AU-58 BN (NGC). https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/l...au-58-bn-ngc
Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
agreed, not an Indian Head cent. yours has 'dots' on either side of the wreath that should not be there and the leaves are different and should not touch at the top center.
and what is that thing on the reverse field under 'CENT'?
Apcol, that link that you listed is spot on. If you zoom in closely on my coin, you can almost make out the O and the T in not. That has opened up a whole new realm of coins, previously unknown to me.
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