The 1877 Indian Cent

PCGS - Indian cents spawned several key and semi-key dates over the course of the series, running from 1859 through 1909. And while the series is one of the most affordable of the 19th-century coins and is easily the most accessible to those who wish to build a comprehensive collection of coins from the period, many Indian cents are considerably rare and quite valuable. The most notable of these among the regular-issue business strikes is the 1877, which is widely recognized as the indisputable key date of the series.


Indian Cent, 1877 1C, RD, PCGS MS66+RD

The 1877 Indian cent is a scarce coin, perhaps much rarer in many respects than its mintage of 852,500 may immediately suggest. Indian "Pennies" saw widespread use during the late 19th century and were workhorse coins during that era. Philadelphia-minted cents were not routinely saved in the late 1870s and early 1880s, when the 1877 Indian cent was still a new coin. In fact, collecting Indian cents and other contemporary United States coins by date didn't really become en vogue until decades later, with the introduction of coin folders and albums designed for those coins.

By that time, the 1877 Indian cent had seen surviving quantities rapidly shrink, with extant pieces in high demand by collectors. Appetites for the coin only ramped up during the numismatic hobby boom of the 1950s and '60s, and the 1877 Indian cent remains atop want lists of collectors young and seasoned who seek the coin for their sets today.

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