Coin Values Moving with Precious Metals: Up-Dated 2/8/2021: Gold $1813 | Silver $26.90
- Type: Indian Head Penny Year: 1909 Mint Mark: No mint mark Face Value: 0.01 USD Total Produced: 14,368,000 Silver Content: 0% Numismatic Value: $15 to $75.00 Value: As a rough estimate of this coins value you can assume this coin in average condition will be valued at somewhere around $15, while one in certified mint state (MS+) condition could bring as much as $75 at auction.
- This videos shows you how to check for rare, valuable, wheat & indian head pennies from 1909 worth big money! As they say, a penny saved is a penny earned.
The Indian Head Cent was a mainstay of U.S. Coinage until 1909, when it gave way to the Lincoln Cent. Since then, the Indian Head Cent has been extremely popular with coin collectors. There are just a few key dates that dominate the series. These are the Indian Head Cents that have received the most attention in the past, and are most likely to.
Your 1909 Indian head penny value is significantly higher than most other dates in the series.
A valuable coin, in 1909 Indian pennies were ending their years of production and making way for the new Lincoln cent. The number minted is far less than most years creating a fundamentally scarce coin.
Next, identify if your coin is the rare 'S' mint 1909 penny. San Francisco minted a relatively small number of Indian pennies and their value starts in the hundreds of dollars.
Finally, the condition of your coin is very important. Condition has always played a major role in all coin values. However its influence increases with the large jumps in your 1909 Indian head penny value from one grade to the next. If you can easily read 'Liberty' across her headband it indicates your coin is in better condition than most and higher value.
| 1909 Indian Head Penny Value | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Condition of Coin | ||||
| Date | Good | Fine | Extremely Fine | Uncirculated |
| 1909 Indian Head Penny Value Updated | 2021 | |||
| 1909 | $5 | $9 | $18 | $34 |
| 1909-S | $272 | $326 | $520 | $690 |
Rarity and Collectible 1909-S Indian Head Penny
The rarity and value of the 1909-S Indian head penny not only includes the gem condition coins as expected. Strong demand and high value as a collectible extends also to the heavily worn examples. Its is one of the classic rare US coins collected in all conditions from the well worn to the superb top quality.
Two 1909 San Francisco Indian head pennies are pictured. Their range in condition is huge. On the right is a 'good' condition coin, worn almost smooth. To the left is an outstanding gem quality 'uncirculated' penny, at the very top in condition.
After many rising bids the Gem 1909-S sold at David Lawrence rare coin auctions for $3795 and the 'Good' condition coin was bid to $557. Demand and scarcity of these coins is clear. 1909 Indian head penny value is supported by a large number of collectors and this coin is considered scarce today.
Condition is Key to 1909 Indian Head Penny Value
A quick look at the value charts shows the importance of accurately judging the condition your coin. Determining your 1909 penny is just a little nicer than average reflects a big change in value. Judging a coin’s state of preservation is known as 'grading' by dealers and collectors. Noticeable features separate the varying degrees of possible wear. By comparing your coin to the images and determining its grade you can find an accurate Indian head penny value on the chart.
Uncirculated: Rare is a 1909 Indian penny in 'uncirculated' condition. It is a coin that has never circulated and there is no wear to its surfaces. To confirm your coin is in this condition examine the very ends of the feathers, if wear is present it smoothes the normal 'grain' and flow lines of the metal. Her cheek and extending to include the chin is another area prone to early wear. Again a worn surface shows smoothing to the metal, a distinctly different look compared to the surrounding area.
Extremely Fine: Sharply defined details, including the minor elements, defines an Indian penny in 'extremely fine' condition. Looking closely at the head band the letters in Liberty are fully separated from the defining lines of the band. Wear is present, however all parts are bold. Your coin should stand out as very pleasing to the eye and highly detailed.
Fine: Collected from circulation with ample detail remaining, 1909 Indian pennies in 'fine' condition are valued in the hobby. Her chin and cheek has worn flat, much of the finer detail separating the curls of hair are smoothed into one. The headdress is recognizable with the headband and feathers separated. Overall a bold image remains.
Good: Extensive use has worn the majority of this coin away. Most detail separating the feathers, headband, and hairline above her face is smooth and missing. Additionally, her cheek is worn smooth with little or no roundness. Collectors and dealers prefer a full rim if considering a coin as reaching the 'good' grade. Even in this well worn condition your 1909 Indian head penny value is still far above most other dates.
Discover the $600 'S' Mint Indian Penny
1909 Indian Head Penny Value
Awaiting discovery is the possible 'S' mintmark on the reverse of your 1909 Indian penny. The San Francisco mint busy that year introducing the Lincoln cent did strike a small amount (309,000) Indian pennies. An immediately scarce coin distinguished by the 'S' mark on the reverse just above the rim, under the wreath. If without the mark your coin originated at the Philadelphia mint, still highly collectible. 1909 Indian head penny value is far ahead of others minted in the 1900 to 1908 years.
Coin Values | CoinStudy Articles
Date by Date
In Depth Indian Penny Value
1859 to 1882
1859 | 1865 | 1871 | 1877 |
1860 | 1866 | 1872 | 1878 |
1861 | 1867 | 1873 | 1879 |
1862 | 1868 | 1874 | 1880 |
1863 | 1869 | 1875 | 1881 |
1864 | 1870 | 1876 | 1882 |
Date by Date
In Depth Indian Penny Value
1883 to 1909
1883 | 1890 | 1897 | 1904 |
1884 | 1891 | 1898 | 1905 |
1885 | 1892 | 1899 | 1906 |
1886 | 1893 | 1900 | 1907 |
1887 | 1894 | 1901 | 1908 |
1888 | 1895 | 1902 | 1909 |
1889 | 1896 | 1903 |
A very popular coin, the value of an Indian Head penny is the result of wide spread collector interest. Common dates are now worth one dollar each. Many collections are being assembled with an emphasis on high condition and rarity. Compare your Indian head penny dates to the values chart. Find not only your 1909 Indian head penny value but all dates in the series.
Year over year a steady rise in value is recorded. You can determine accurate old US penny values by using the grading images to judge condition then checking the date and values on the charts covering each series of US pennies. Further discovering all the rare varieties, dates and mintmarks.
★Coin Values Discovery finds... 1909 Indian Head Penny Value and...
1909 Indian Head Penny Worth
All old US coin values. Use this page as a starting point, 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.
1909 Indian Head Penny Values
Prepare your coins for selling, find coin buyers and understand their true potential.
The 1909-S Indian has a lower mintage than the 1909-S VDB cent, but for most grades sells for a lot less. This raises the question, why? Usually the coin with the lower mintage has higher market value, but not in this case.
The reasons come down to simple supply and demand.
In 1909, excitement over the new Lincoln cent created a frenzy of buying of the new coins. The short five-day period of 1909 VDB cents gobbled up all 26 million Philadelphia-minted cents. However, the much smaller San Francisco Mint issue was probably put into circulation despite its much lower mintage than its cousin issued later in the year (August 1909).
Thus the 1909-S Indian head cent was overlooked by hoarders and speculators as the new Lincoln cents were eagerly anticipated by the American public.
In the century since these two coins were released, the market value of the 1909-S Indian was often behind that of the 1909-S VDB cent — although in the 1920s, one could buy uncirculated 1909-S VDB cents for 25 cents each while 1909-S Indian cents in uncirculated condition sold for $1 and more.
By the time the first coin boards were printed in the 1930s, the empty space in most collections was the 1909-S VDB. Many fewer Indian head cent boards were made and sold, as there were far fewer collectors of that series at the time.
In fact, to date, the Lincoln cent is the most popular coin series with collectors as witnessed by the number of coin albums sold for the series by the major album makers, Dansco and Whitman.
I collected both series when I was in school in the 1930s and managed to find three of the 1909-S VDB cents and never found a 1909-S Indian head cent in change. But since I lived in Brooklyn, S-mint coins were uncommon in circulation.
I did know old-time collectors such as Bill Tracy, Charles Ruby and Ralph 'Curley' Mitchell who lived in California in the 1930s and 1940s and they found both coins in circulation in the early days.
My late friend Maurice M. Gould, who operated a coin business in Boston at that time, found none of the two coins in circulation but purchased many from collectors who either found them in change or bought them in 1909 when first released.
I visited the coin shop of the late Bob Johnson in San Francisco in 1963 when I was doing postgraduate work at nearby University of California, Berkeley, and he showed me a full roll of uncirculated 1909-S VDB cents he had recently purchased from a woman whose late husband bought them at a bank in 1909. He said he paid $1,000 for the roll. He also mentioned that he never bought a roll of 1909-S Indian head cents, although single coins showed up fairly often from customers who found them in change.
Over the decades, the aura of the 1909-S VDB cent has grown to the point where choice uncirculated coins are bringing over $10,000 at auction. Uncirculated 1909-S Indians still bring less, although actual population numbers are much lower.
In the July 2009 price list of California-based L&C Coins, one of the largest retailers of U.S. coins, the following were listed for sale:
Two 1909S Indian head cents, one graded PCGS VF-30 at $850 and one graded NGC VF-25 at $825. In the same price list were eleven 1909-S VDB cents ranging from a PCGS VF-20 for $1,500 to an NGC MS-65BN for $3,500. This illustrates that scarcity does not always equate to value. The mintage of the 1909-S Indian was 309,000, while the mintage of the 1909-S VDB Lincoln was 484,000.
There are numerous examples of rare coins bringing very different prices despite their small populations. A good example is the famed 1804 silver dollar; one recently sold for more than $2 million. There are 15 known specimens.
Going down the list of high-priced coins sold at auction, there are many coins that sold for less than half that amount even though only one or two specimens are known. This exemplifies the old economic axiom that supply and demand is the main pricing factor.