1881 Indian Head Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 39,208,000 made
- Mintage
- 39,208,000
- Metal
- 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc
- Weight
- 3.11 g
- Diameter
- 19 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1881 Indian Head Cent worth?
Age alone gives this coin a small premium, even worn. Sharp details and original surfaces push it higher.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- Full red copper color (labeled RD) rather than brown
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1881 Indian Head Cent rare?
- No. 39 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1881 Indian Head Cent?
- No mint mark. Philadelphia struck every Indian cent until 1908.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1881 are scarcer?
- The 1877 at 852,500, the 1878 at 5,797,500, the 1876 at 7,944,000, plus 6 more. So the 1881 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1881 Indian Head Cent coins were made?
- 39,208,000.
What to check on your 1881
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1881 Indian Head Cent Proof (3,575 made) is the one to compare with.
- Old coins pick up damage over a long life. Look for holes, bends, scratches or signs of cleaning before you judge the grade, because a damaged coin sells for a fraction of a problem-free one.
- Judge the grade under good light. In Very Fine, all five letters of LIBERTY on the headband are visible; collectors also look at the feather tips and the "diamonds" on the ribbon. Color is graded too: Red (RD), Red-Brown (RB) and Brown (BN).
The story of the 1881
At 39,208,000, the 1881 run at Philadelphia was close to the 1880 figure. The next year it made 39 million (1882).
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1881 you find is from Philadelphia.
Philadelphia struck the Indian Head Cent in 52 issues between 1859 and 1909. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1877 (852,500). Within the 1880s it's 7th smallest of 10, between the 1880 (39 million) and the 1887 (45 million).
Recovery and the 1886 portrait change (1879 to 1890)
Production rebounded in 1879 as the surplus cleared and the economy recovered, rising from 16 million that year to about 39 million in 1880 and 1881. Proof mintages climbed into the thousands as collecting grew. After a dip in 1885, output passed 45 million in 1887 and 57 million in 1890, the largest yet.
The key variety of this era is the 1886. Early in the year the obverse hub was changed: on Type 1 coins the last feather of the headdress points between the I and C of AMERICA, while on Type 2 coins it points between the C and A. Type 2 is scarcer. The 1888/7 overdate is a major rarity. Bronze from this period often survives with attractive red and brown color. The higher mintages make most dates easy to find in Extremely Fine and better.
How to recognize it
Liberty wears a feathered headdress with LIBERTY on the band, surrounded by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA with the date below. The 1859 reverse is a laurel wreath around ONE CENT; from 1860 an oak wreath with a small shield at the top was used. Coins from 1864 on are bronze and from partway through 1864 they show the designer's initial L on the ribbon behind Liberty's neck. Mint marks (only S, 1908 and 1909) are below the wreath on the reverse.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Indian Head Cent (1859–1909) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1881 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 39,208,000 |
| Face value | 1¢ |
| Composition | 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc (bronze) |
| Weight | 3.11 grams |
| Diameter | 19 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James B. Longacre |
Other 1881 Indian Head Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1881 Indian Head Cent | 39,208,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1881 Indian Head Cent Proof | 3,575 | Proof | – |
Mintage: United States cent mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.