1877 Indian Head Penny: Key Date Heritage Auction Galleries Although not an error or variety, the 1877 Indian Head cent had an extremely low mintage of only 852,500 coins. Nov 13, 2018 Counterfeit Detection: 1877 Indian Head Cent Posted on A difference in facial expression is among the many clues this coin is fake. Although it had only the second-lowest mintage of the Indian Head Cent series after the 1909-S, the 1877 issue is by far the rarest coin in the series today. The next two pictures are the reverse of an 1877 Indian Cent. The first example is near Mint-State, but notice the considerable weakness in the center of the coin. The bottom of the 'N' in ONE, as well as the top of 'E N' in CENT all show weakness. The second example was graded AG3, but still notice the weakness in the center of the coin.

Coin Values Moving with Precious Metals: Up-Dated 2/8/2021: Gold $1813 Silver $26.90

1877 Indian head penny value is the highest of all Indian pennies. Considered the key to the series, value and demand is greater for an 1877 than any other Indian penny.

Worth $360 and up even when heavily worn, it is a popular date with collectors. Many are assembling sets of Indian pennies and finding a nice 1877 with the least amount of wear is a challenge. Should your coin display some of the finer details in and around the headband it is avidly sought by collectors.

Amazingly, a few rare 1877 Indian pennies are still in the same condition today as when first minted. Referred to as 'uncirculated' these coins with mint luster remaining, and undisturbed surfaces are the top prize of any collection. To the right is a rare gem uncirculated 1877 Indian head penny, value is $3,000 to $3,200.

Determining the condition of your coin is essential, subtle details with these high priced coins often dramatically change their value. Just after the value chart, grading the condition of your coin is illustrated and described.

Accurate Grading and 1877 Indian Head Penny Value

Auction results are strong when a rare 1877 Indian penny is offered. Prices paid for these rare coins are regularly determined by multiple bidders. Pictured are two examples of 1877 pennies selling at auction highlighting today's demand. The left image is a moderately worn coin, with a pleasing light brown coloring. The right coin is a stunning gem condition example.

Both of these coins drew collector attention and received many bids. The eye catching bright gem quality coin reached $8912 in value. The lightly worn 1877, similar in appearance to most others in a box of old coins was bid to $1696. Auction settings bring great coins together with serious collectors, creating true market values.

It's not an unrealistic expectation with accurate grading applied to your 1877 penny, it realizing a higher value. Consider having a professional grading service evaluate any rare date penny.

Professional Level Grading Finds Accurate Value

Large swings in 1877 Indian head penny value often hinge on small subtle details of the coin's surface. In the collecting market, grading a coin is understandably subjective with many personal views. Often an independent third party is called upon to render its opinion. As an important resource to the hobby, dealers and collectors routinely send high value coins to either PCGS or NGC for authentication and grading.

Uncirculated: Total absence of wear is required to reach the lofty 'uncirculated' grade. Original mint luster is still visible over the entire coin. By tilting an uncirculated penny side to side, unbroken luster rotates across the surface. Also, inspect the high points of the design for evidence of wear. A dulling and smoothness of the surface on her eyebrow, cheek and the ends of the feathers is an indication of slight wear. Heavier wear is noticeable by flattening of normally curved contours.

Extremely Fine: An 1877 Indian penny in 'extremely fine' condition displays all major and minor design details. Your coin's overall appearance is distinct and sharp. Light wear has begun to remove the roundness of the hair curls behind her neck. In the center of the ribbon over these curls portions of the diamonds are fading. Hair above her eye and along the lower headband is showing light but distinct wear. Overall a visually pleasing coin, with no distracting faults.

Fine: Highest parts of the design, cheek, neckline and headband are visibly worn, and somewhat flat. However, all major details remain clear, indicating an Indian penny in 'fine' condition. Roundness of her cheek and chin has worn away. Along the back of her neck most fine details separating the hair curls are blended into one. Giving your coin definition the central area of the headdress is well defined with the headband and feathers separated. Overall a bold, moderately worn image remains.

1877 Indian Head Penny Mintage

Good: Heavy wear has reduced the portrait to almost a flat silhouette. The headband and hair above the eye are no longer separated, hair curls along her neck and ribbon are merged. Despite its worn appearance, 1877 Indian head penny value remains above $500. Still a very popular and sought after coin.

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1877 Indian Head Penny Price

Date by Date
In Depth Indian Penny Value
1859 to 1882

Date by Date
In Depth Indian Penny Value
1883 to 1909

A very popular coin, everyone understands and has heard of the value of an Indian Head penny. Common dates are now worth more than one dollar each. Many collectors are building collections and putting a heavy demand on not only your 1877 penny but also all dates and avidly seeking better condition coins. Compare your coins to the values chart.

Accurate penny values are found by using the grading images to judge condition then checking the date and values on the charts covering each series of US pennies. Discover all the rare varieties, dates and mintmarks.

★Coin Values Discovery finds... 1877 Indian Head Penny Value and...

All old US coin values. It is an excellent index with images and text links to all coin series, from Cents to Gold. Value charts, grading images and descriptions uncover not only the value of Indian pennies but how much your box of old coins is worth.

1877 Indian Head Penny Mintage

Easily sort and value your coins. An important step in preparing for selling and finding coin buyers.

The 1877 Indian Head cent had a higher mintage than the 1909-S, yet commands an MS-65 value of $13,000 compared to $2,000 for the later coin.

Some coins have a more important place in the history of U.S. coin collecting than their price and mintage might explain. The 1877 Indian Head cent is one of those coins, with an importance way beyond its price or mintage.
Looking at the 1877 in a list of Indian Head cents, it is easy to see some of its potential. The 1877, with a mintage of 852,500, is clearly a more important Indian Head cent date, as the only other date to drop below the 1 million mark was the 1909-S. At $750 in G-4, as opposed to the $425 price of the 1909-S in the same grade, the 1877 is the more costly of the two, despite a higher mintage.
The situation continues in Mint State, as the 1877 sits at $4,000 in MS-60, while the 1909-S is at $750 and in MS-65, the 1877 is at $13,000, while the 1909-S is at $2,000.
Obviously, mintage is not everything in this pricing and that makes sense,as the 1909-S, issued at a time of great interest in the cents being produced at San Francisco, was probably much more heavily saved than the 1877.

The importance of the 1877 is not, however, just in its price. The 1877 became an important coin, as it seemed to be the universal choice of a rare coin that people might be able to find.
It must be remembered that this was 1877. The bulk of the collectors at the time collected cents or lower denominations. They went about their collecting one of two ways - they either got the coins they wanted from circulation or they went to the U.S. Mint in the case of cents, which were only produced in Philadelphia at the time, and purchased a proof.
The influence of the proof purchases can be seen in the fact that while priced at $13,000 in MS-65, in Proof-65, the 1877 is priced at just $6,750. Throughout the Indian Head cents of the period, that trend can be seen, as the proof will frequently be less expensive than the Mint State of the same date. It's a case where while perhaps low mintage, the proof would receive better care and have a better chance of survival.
Purchased or found, any 1877 was quickly discovered by the collectors of the day as a better date. After all, there had been no Indian Head cents with a mintage below 1 million and that would stick in someone's mind.

1877 Indian Head Penny Worth

Years later, coins like the 1877 would be heavily hoarded, but this was 1877 and people did not generally hoard coins on the notion that they would turn out to be valuable. While there was never hoarding in the case of the 1877, there would be a regular drain from the supply in circulation. Coin collecting did not grow much between 1877 and the arrival of the Lincoln cent in 1909. What new collectors there were would start with Indian Head cents in most cases and the 1877 would be the coin they wanted.
The reputation of the 1877 grew with time and became popular to depict on anything involving a rare coin. I can remember an Avon bottle, but it was on almost anything, be it a belt buckle or a U.S. postage stamp.
How much impact the fame has had on the price of the 1877 is hard to measure. Professional Coin Grading Service has seen 64 of them in MS-65 or better. The Numismatic Guaranty Corp. has seen 89. The numbers suggest that the fame which creates demand produced a higher price for the 1877 than simple numbers justify. When you purchase an 1877, don't expect great value, as it commands a high price - the price of fame.