Copyright © PeerMetals 2026
1859 Indian Head penny value guide -- the one-year laurel wreath reverse, mintage, and grade-by-grade prices.
Condition drives the price — full breakdown below.
36,400,000 struck — against the other key dates in the Indian Head Penny series.
Bars are scaled to keep the smallest mintages visible; the exact figure is printed on every row. Mintage is coins struck, not coins surviving — melting and circulation wear thin those numbers further.
The only year with this exact reverse -- a laurel wreath with no shield above it -- before the design changed to an oak wreath with shield in 1860.
First-year type coin of the whole Indian Head Penny series, and the only year struck in this specific copper-nickel composition/design combination.
Other dates and varieties in this series
What to check before you pay, specific to this date and its 36,400,000-coin mintage.
The same date runs from about $19 worn to $997 at the top of the scale — a 52× spread. Nearly all of that gap is condition, not the date on the coin, so work out where an example sits on the table above before deciding whether its asking price is fair.
A PCGS or NGC holder settles authenticity and grade in one go, which is most of what you're actually paying for at this level. The premium it adds is small next to the cost of being wrong about either.
Every Indian Head Penny listed here is priced by an individual seller, so the same coin in the same grade can differ by a wide margin on any given day. Sort by price, check Metal Points and order history for a sense of the seller's record, and message them if the photos don't show enough to grade confidently.
About the 1859 Laurel Wreath Reverse Indian Head Penny
Value depends heavily on condition. A well-worn example brings closer to $19, while an uncirculated one can reach $997 or more.
The only year with this exact reverse -- a laurel wreath with no shield above it -- before the design changed to an oak wreath with shield in 1860.
For anything you believe is a key date or an error, professional grading protects both buyer and seller by settling condition and authenticity before money changes hands.
The rest of the series, with what each is worth at the top of the grade scale.
List it free on PeerMetals — flat 2.75% seller fee, zero listing fees, 1–3 day payouts.
