Indian Head Penny

1859–1909

Designed by James B. Longacre, the Indian Head cent replaced the Flying Eagle cent in 1859 and ran for 50 years before the Lincoln cent took over in 1909. Its obverse shows a female Liberty in a Native American-style feathered headdress -- the popular story that Longacre modeled her on his own daughter Sarah is a long-repeated numismatic legend, not independently confirmed, so it's presented here as folklore rather than fact. The coin's composition changed twice: copper-nickel (1859-1864), then bronze for the remainder of the series (1864-1909).