1909-S Indian Head Cent

The 1909-S Indian Head cent is the last date in the long-running Indian Head cent series and one of its scarcest issues, produced in a very limited quantity at the San Francisco Mint just before the design was retired in favor of the new Lincoln cent later that same year.

Its combination of being both a final-year issue and a low-mintage branch-mint coin makes it one of the most desirable dates for collectors assembling a complete Indian Head cent set.

By 1909, the Indian Head cent, designed decades earlier by James B. Longacre, was approaching the end of its run. The Mint began transitioning to the new Lincoln cent that same year to mark the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, meaning only a small final batch of Indian Head cents was struck at the San Francisco branch mint before the changeover.

This low, final-year production at a branch mint that struck relatively few cents in general made the 1909-S one of the scarcest coins in the series from the outset, and it has remained a benchmark key date for the series ever since.

The obverse shows Liberty wearing a feathered headdress with LIBERTY on the band and the date below. The reverse displays a wreath encircling ONE CENT with a small shield at the top, typical of the series' later years.

The key identifying feature is the small "S" mint mark located on the reverse, below the wreath, indicating production at the San Francisco Mint; coins without this mint mark are the far more common Philadelphia issue. Because the mint mark is small and can be mimicked by adding a fake "S" to a common Philadelphia coin, careful examination of the mint mark's size, shape, and placement, ideally with magnification or professional grading, is important.

The coin is bronze in composition and shares its overall size and design elements with other Indian Head cents from the 1860s onward.

The 1909-S is broadly recognized as the key date of the entire Indian Head cent series, and it commands strong premiums even in heavily worn condition due to its low original production and status as the series' final date. Higher circulated grades and mint state examples bring considerably more, reflecting sustained collector demand.

Because of its fame and value, the coin is a frequent target for counterfeit or added mint marks, so buyers are strongly encouraged to purchase examples certified by a reputable third-party grading service.