1884 Indian Head Pennies

1884 Indian Head cents are quite common and are often encountered in mixed-date rolls of Indian Head cents. They’re also easily found at most U.S. coin shops. 1884 pennies aren’t particularly difficult to find in any of the circulated grades or the lower uncirculated grades, and they are usually bought by numismatists who want a 19th-century example of the Indian Head penny. 1884 cents are often snapped up by Indian Head penny series collectors who are trying to assemble a complete set of coins.

1884 were made in smaller numbers than earlier dates in the 1880s, but are still plentiful. 23,257,800 Indian Head pennies were made that year and they sell for $3.50 in a grade of Good-4. As a smaller number of business strikes were made in 1884 than immediately previous years, so, too, were proof specimens. 3,942 proof Indian Head cents were made in 1884, and choice examples retail for $1,250.

Chief Engraver of the United States Mint James B. Longacre was the designer of the 1884 Indian Head penny. In addition to Indian Head pennies, which were first produced in 1859, Longacre also designed the United States two-cent piece, which in 1864 became the nation’s first coin to bear the motto IN GOD WE TRUST.