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• Like its Flying Eagle predecessor, the Indian Head cent started out as a copper-nickel coin, made from an alloy whose light color led to its being called a "white" cent. War-related hoarding caused the Mint to switch to a cheaper bronze alloy in 1864 and also to reduce the weight by a third, resulting in a thinner coin much like the cent we know today. But the Indian Head portrait remained in use for half a century before giving way to the Lincoln cent in 1909. • From 1857, the cent was 88 percent copper and 12 percent nickel, giving the coin a whitish appearance. • The cent was again bronze (95 percent copper, and five percent tin and zinc) from 1864 to 1962. • In 1962, the cent's tin content, which was quite small, was removed. That made the metal composition of the cent 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc. The alloy remained 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc until 1982, when the composition was changed to 97.5 percent zinc and 2.5 percent copper (copper-plated zinc). Cents of both compositions appeared in that year.

Set Contains a Pre 1864 Indian Copper and Post 1864 Indian Bronze. A Pre 1942 Lincoln Bronze and and Pre 1982 Copper Lincoln Penny.


Copper & Bronze Penny Collection
 Copper & Bronze Penny Collection
$49.00


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