1864-L Indian Head Cents (1859-1909)

Intriguing History

By 1864, the Civil War had upended the nation: hard money vanished from circulation as people hoarded gold and silver, the government issued paper greenbacks to fund the war effort, and the phrase "In God We Trust" was added to U.S. coinage in 1864 amid the conflict's darkest years. This Indian Head cent, designed by James B. Longacre, carried small change through exactly this stretch of American history for half a century.