The 1859 Indian cent is a one-year-only type, serving as the only issue without a shield depicted on the reverse. During that time, the Indian Head cent series spawned a plethora of semi-keys, a least one key, and many varieties. The Indian Head 'penny' was minted until 1909, spanning some 50 years and becoming what was then one of the America's longest-running coin series, along with the contemporary Liberty Seated motif that ran on most of the nation?s silver coins from the late 1830s through early 1890s. Interestingly, the Indian cent name is a misnomer, as the female figure on the coin's obverse is not a Native American but rather a Caucasian figure of Miss Liberty wearing a feathered headdress meant to depict, if inaccurately, a style of head adornment similar to those worn by some native peoples. Longacre and released in 1859 as a replacement for the Flying Eagle motif, which debuted in 1856 and became the nation's first small cent.
Indian cents were designed by United States Mint Chief Engraver James B.
