1909-S Indian Head Cent
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 309,000 made
- Mintage
- 309,000
- 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 a 1909-S Indian Head Cent worth?
This is one of the dates collectors hunt for. A genuine 1909-S is valuable in any condition, even well worn. That's exactly why fakes and altered coins turn up so often.
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
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
The 1909-S Indian cent has the lowest mintage of the series and was struck in the design's final year.
Quick answers
- Is the 1909-S Indian Head Cent rare?
- Yes. Only 309,000 were made, the lowest of any regular Indian Head Cent.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1909 Indian Head Cent?
- On the reverse, below the wreath. Only 1908-S and 1909-S carry a mint mark. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- How many 1909-S Indian Head Cent coins were made?
- 309,000.
What to check on your 1909-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1909 (14 million made).
- Check the date and mint mark under magnification for tooling or added letters. Scarce dates are the ones forgers alter.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1909 Indian Head Cent Proof (2,175 made) is the one to compare with.
- 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).
Low-mintage dates attract altered and counterfeit coins. Check that the mint mark and date have not been tooled or added, or buy one already certified by PCGS or NGC.
The story of the 1909-S
Production at San Francisco fell off a cliff in 1909. Only 309,000 were made, against 1.1 million the year before. That drop is why the 1909-S is the one people look for. It was also the last year of the series.
The other mint made far more that year: 1909 alone came to 14 million, roughly 46 for every 1909-S. If you're checking a pile of 1909 coins, the S is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1877 (852,500) and the 1908-S (1,115,000).
1909 is the last year the Indian Head Cent was made in 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc (bronze). Check the edge or weigh it if you find one from the year after.
Record output and the San Francisco keys (1900 to 1909)
Cent production soared in the new century, from 66 million in 1900 to a series high of 108 million in 1907, driven by streetcar fares, penny candy and new vending machines. For the first time the cent was struck outside Philadelphia: San Francisco made 1.1 million cents in 1908, with an S mint mark below the wreath on the reverse.
The 1909-S, with only 309,000 coined before the Lincoln cent arrived in August 1909, is the second key of the series after the 1877. Both S dates have been faked by adding a mint mark to a Philadelphia coin, so experts check the shape and position of the S. Philadelphia made 14.4 million cents in 1909 before the change. Survivors from this decade are plentiful. Many uncirculated coins show red and brown or fully brown color.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1909
The Lincoln cent replaced the Indian Head cent to mark the centennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Designer Victor David Brenner's initials V.D.B. on the reverse were removed within days after complaints. The New Orleans Mint struck its last coins that year.
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 | 1909 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 309,000 |
| 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 1909 Indian Head Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1909 Indian Head Cent | 14,368,470 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1909 Indian Head Cent Proof | 2,175 | Proof | – |
| 1909-S Indian Head Cent | 309,000 | Circulation strike | – |
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.