1859 Indian Head Cent (Laurel Wreath, No Shield)

1859 Indian Head Cent (Laurel Wreath, No Shield): The First-Year Type Coin

The 1859 Indian Head Cent occupies a specific and important position in American numismatics that goes beyond its age or face value. It is the only year in which the Indian Head cent design was produced with a laurel wreath on the reverse and without the small shield that would appear above the wreath beginning in 1860 and remain through the end of the series in 1909. This makes the 1859 a one-year type coin, meaning it is the sole representative of a distinctive design configuration that was used for exactly twelve months before being permanently replaced. For type set collectors, this is essential. For any serious student of American coinage history, it is a coin that rewards close attention.

James Longacre and the Indian Head Design

The Indian Head cent was designed by James Barton Longacre, the Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1844 until his death in 1869. Longacre is perhaps best known for this design, though he also designed the three-cent piece, the two-cent piece, and other important coins of the Civil War era.

The portrait on the obverse shows Liberty wearing a Native American headdress, facing left. This was Longacre's artistic interpretation rather than a literal depiction of a Native American: Liberty is a classical allegorical figure, and the headdress was a design element intended to express American identity through indigenous imagery. The design followed a tradition in American decorative arts of the period that used Native American imagery as a symbol of the New World.

There is a persistent story that Longacre's young daughter posed as the model for the Indian Head portrait, and that the family had encountered a visiting Native American chief whose headdress inspired the design. The historical accuracy of this story is uncertain, but it has been widely repeated. What is documented is that Longacre refined the design through multiple pattern variants in 1858 before the 1859 production version was finalized.

The word "LIBERTY" appears on the headband of the headdress, a detail that rewards close examination of better-preserved examples. This lettering is one of the points used by graders to assess circulation wear: as the coin wears, the letters on the headband are among the first elements to lose definition.

The 1859 Reverse: Laurel Wreath Without Shield

The reverse of the 1859 Indian Head cent shows a wreath of laurel leaves tied at the bottom, with "ONE CENT" within the wreath and "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" around the border. The composition was achieved with laurel leaves arranged in bunches of six leaves each on each side of the wreath.

Beginning in 1860, Longacre modified the reverse by adding an oak wreath (replacing the laurel wreath) and placing a small federal shield at the top of the wreath. The oak and shield reverse was used from 1860 through 1909. This modification makes the 1859 laurel wreath reverse instantly distinguishable from all later dates by the absence of the shield and the different leaf style.

Why was the change made? The oak wreath and shield design is considered more emblematic of American patriotism, the oak being a symbol of strength and the federal shield a direct national emblem. The laurel wreath, while a classical symbol of honor and achievement, was perhaps seen as too European or insufficiently specifically American for a coin intended to serve in everyday American commerce. The change was implemented relatively quickly after the laurel wreath design entered circulation, suggesting it may not have been fully satisfying to Mint officials or to public reception from the beginning.

Specifications and Composition

The 1859 Indian Head cent was produced at the Philadelphia Mint in the composition in use from 1857 through 1864:

The copper-nickel composition, sometimes called "white cent" by contemporary collectors due to the lighter color compared to the pure copper coins that followed, gives the 1859 a distinctive appearance. The nickel content creates a slightly yellow-white color rather than the warm orange-red of pure copper. This composition was changed in 1864 to 95% copper and 5% tin/zinc, which is when the Indian Head cent took on the familiar copper color associated with the series.

The mintage of 36.4 million pieces is substantial, which is one reason why the 1859 remains accessible in circulated grades to this day. Despite 165 years of attrition, enough examples survive that collectors can find honest circulated pieces at reasonable prices. The challenge comes in finding high-grade examples with original surfaces.

Condition and Value Guide

The 1859 Indian Head cent in the laurel wreath type is one of the more accessible of the 19th century cents in circulated grades, with significant price escalation as condition improves into Mint State:

These values reflect general market ranges for properly original examples. Coins that have been cleaned or improperly treated trade at discounts. Coins with attractive original surfaces and natural patina often command premiums above standard price guide values.

Identifying the 1859 Laurel Wreath Type

Authentication and identification of the 1859 laurel wreath type is straightforward because the reverse design is uniquely distinctive:

Obverse features:

• Liberty facing left, wearing a headdress with "LIBERTY" on the headband

• "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" around the border

• Date "1859" below the portrait

Reverse features:

• Laurel wreath with leaves arranged in bunches of six on each side

• NO shield above the wreath (this is the defining identification point)

• "ONE CENT" within the wreath

• "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" around the border

Distinguishing from later dates: The simplest way to confirm you have the 1859 type versus the 1860-1909 type is to look at the top of the wreath on the reverse. If there is a small shield, it is an 1860 or later coin. If the wreath simply ties at the top without a shield, it is the 1859 type. This one difference immediately distinguishes the two types at any grade level.

Common issues:

• Cleaning: The copper-nickel composition is particularly susceptible to the appearance of cleaning. Harsh cleaning creates hairlines visible under magnification and removes original surface.

• Environmental damage: Porosity (surface pitting from environmental exposure) is common on lower-grade examples.

• Alterations: Date alterations from other years to 1859 are less of a concern than with rarer dates, but any suspicious piece should be compared against documented characteristics.

The Role of the 1859 in Type Collecting

For collectors building type sets of 19th century United States coinage, the 1859 Indian Head cent represents the "Indian Head Cent, Laurel Wreath Reverse" type, a required item for any complete type set of the era. This single-year type status creates consistent demand from type collectors who need exactly one example to represent the type, regardless of specific grade.

Compared to other type coins in American numismatics, the 1859 is relatively accessible. A circulated example in Fine to Very Fine grade can be acquired for under $100, allowing entry-level type set collectors to include this one-year type without breaking their budget. Higher-grade examples for more ambitious collections are also available, though Mint State examples become progressively scarcer as grade increases.

The Indian Head cent series itself runs from 1859 through 1909, covering 51 years and including the Civil War years when these cents were some of the only coins that remained in ordinary circulation. The 1859 laurel wreath reverse is the opening chapter of that 51-year story, and owning one means owning the first coin in a design series that accompanied Americans through some of the most significant events in the nation's history.

Historical Context: 1859 and the Approaching Crisis

The year 1859 was an extraordinarily tense moment in American history. John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry occurred in October 1859, two years before the Civil War began. The nation was moving toward the crisis that would define the following decade, and the small copper-nickel cents being produced in Philadelphia were everyday objects passing through the hands of Americans who had no way of knowing what was coming.

Indian Head cents from 1859 through the mid-1860s circulated through the Civil War itself. The coin design, introduced just before the conflict began, is therefore uniquely associated with that period of American history. Collecting 19th century small cents is partly an exercise in holding objects that were present during history's most dramatic moments, and the 1859, as the first year of the design, occupies a particular place in that narrative.

The Copper-Nickel Composition and Its Characteristics

The 1857 Flying Eagle cent introduced the small cent to American commerce, replacing the large cent that had been the standard since 1793. The new design was smaller and more practical for daily use. The copper-nickel composition chosen for the Flying Eagle and carried through the first years of the Indian Head cent was selected partly for its distinctive appearance and partly for practical monetary policy reasons related to the value of the metal relative to face value.

The 12% nickel content in the 1857-1864 composition creates a hardness that is actually beneficial for striking quality but can create difficulties for coin collectors when evaluating surfaces. The harder alloy shows contact marks and cleaning differently than pure copper, and the natural toning on untouched copper-nickel cents from this period has a specific character that differs from the warm brown tones of later copper cents.

Collectors who specialize in Indian Head cents often note that original coin surfaces on the 1859 and other early copper-nickel examples have a characteristic light gray or light tan appearance rather than the deep reddish-brown associated with later copper examples. Coins that have been cleaned typically show harsh white or yellow tones that deviate from this natural patina, making original surface examples identifiable with experience.

Pattern Coins: The Pre-Production Context

The 1858 and 1859 period saw a number of pattern coins produced by the Mint as they worked through the design of the Indian Head cent. Pattern coins are test pieces struck to evaluate proposed designs before a final selection is made. The pre-1859 patterns explored various design elements including different feather configurations on the headdress, different wreath styles, and different arrangements of the text on both obverse and reverse.

These patterns are themselves significant numismatic rarities, with some examples worth tens of thousands of dollars when they appear at auction. While most collectors work with the issued coinage rather than patterns, understanding that the 1859 design emerged from a deliberate process of refinement adds context to why the coin looks the way it does.

The pattern coins also document that Longacre considered other wreath styles before settling on the laurel wreath for 1859. The quick revision to oak and shield in 1860 suggests that the laurel wreath, despite passing the pattern evaluation process, was not entirely satisfying in production use or in public reception. Whatever the reason for the change, the result was a single-year type that gives collectors a defined and accessible target.

Building an Indian Head Cent Collection

For collectors drawn to the Indian Head cent series, the 1859 laurel wreath type is the logical starting point. After acquiring one example that satisfies your grade and eye appeal standards, the series provides 51 more dates to pursue, with varying levels of rarity and value across different years.

Several dates in the Indian Head cent series are genuinely scarce and command significant premiums: the 1877 is the key date, with a mintage of only 852,500 pieces and prices that start around $1,000 even in heavily circulated grades. The 1908-S and 1909-S are the only San Francisco Mint Indian Head cents and are both desirable. But most of the series consists of common dates that can be acquired in circulated condition for $5 to $20 per coin, making a complete date set achievable for collectors with modest budgets.

The 1859 will always be special within this context because it is the only example of the design's first incarnation. Every collector of Indian Head cents needs one.

Browse all Coins →

Related Items