Last of the Line: The 1909-S Indian Head Cent
Coin Encyclopedia · 8 min read · Published November 7, 2026
The 1909-S Indian Head cent is the last of the line. It closed a fifty-year series that began in 1859, and it did so with the lowest mintage of any Indian cent ever struck: 309,000, from the San Francisco Mint, in the same year the Lincoln cent replaced the design. It is the final Indian Head cent, the scarcest by mintage, and the coin every set builder needs last.
Our series guide puts the 1909-S at $550 in Very Fine and records the finest reaching $97,750. The table below carries our researched estimates across the grades, from $225–$350 in Good to $5,500–$6,000 in MS-65. Between those figures sits the same wood-grain quirk and the same added-S fake problem as its 1908-S sibling — and a coin that rewards the collector who learns both before spending.
The final year, the smallest mintage
The 1909-S was struck in the year the series ended. The Lincoln cent, issued for the centennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth, replaced the Indian Head design in 1909 — and San Francisco, which had struck its first cents only the year before, made 309,000 Indian cents before the changeover. That figure is the lowest mintage in the whole series, below even the 1877's 852,500, and it is why the 1909-S is the scarcest Indian cent by the numbers.
The small mintage was not a plan to make a rarity. It was the tail end of a design being retired: the Mint struck what was needed while the new Lincoln cent ramped up, and the Indian Head's final year simply did not need many coins. Rarity by retirement is still rarity, though, and the market has treated the 1909-S as a key date ever since — the last coin of a fifty-year run, struck in the smallest numbers, at a branch mint.
Put it beside its pair and the story sharpens. The 1908-S, at 1,115,000, is the affordable half of the San Francisco pair. The 1909-S, at 309,000, is the expensive half — less than a third of its sibling's mintage, and the coin that completes the pair. Collectors usually pick up the 1908-S first and the 1909-S last, and the gap between the two is what finishing the set takes.
What the grade table says
The table below is the most complete in this batch: five of the six grades carry researched estimates, reviewed November 5, 2026. Good runs $225–$350, Fine $320–$550, Extremely Fine $550–$739, Mint State 60 $1,000–$1,095, and Mint State 65 $5,500–$6,000. Only About Uncirculated is unresearched and shows “—”. The shape of the table is the shape of the coin's market: a steep climb from worn to Mint State, and a very steep one from MS-60 to MS-65, where original red and sharp strikes are genuinely scarce.
Above the table sits the ceiling. Our series guide records the finest 1909-S reaching $97,750 — a figure that belongs to a finest-known coin, not to the grades in the table. The lesson is the same as on the 1877: the date gets you into the market, but grade, colour, and originality decide where you land in it. A worn 1909-S is a $225+ coin. A finest-known one is a different world.
Wood grain and the added-S fake, again
Like its 1908-S sibling, the 1909-S carries the San Francisco quirk: a streaky, wood-grain toning caused by an improper metal mix in the bronze strip. It is not damage, it is not cleaning, and on a certified 1909-S it is a badge of origin. Learn the grain, because it is a quiet authentication help — a counterfeit made by adding an S to a Philadelphia cent will not show it, since the Philadelphia planchets were mixed properly.
The fake problem is worse here than on the 1908-S, because the gap is bigger. A 1909 Philadelphia cent is a common coin; add an S below the wreath and it becomes a $225+ key. Check the mint mark's style and position under a loupe: a genuine S sits in the right place below the wreath, with the right shape and depth, struck with the rest of the coin. An added S sits on the surface and often shows tool marks or a different lustre around it. Weigh the coin — a genuine 1909-S is bronze at 3.11 grams — and seek certification at serious value. Our series guide is direct: both San Francisco dates are heavily counterfeited by adding an S to a Philadelphia coin, so check the mint mark and seek a certified example if the figure is serious money.
1909-S Indian, 1909-S Lincoln — the same mint, the same year
The 1909-S Indian Head cent shares its year and its mint with a more famous coin: the 1909-S Lincoln cent. San Francisco struck both designs in 1909 — the Indian Head at the end of its run, the Lincoln at the start of his. The Lincoln version comes in two forms, with Brenner's VDB initials and without them, and the VDB is the $800+ king of the wheat series. The Indian version is the quieter coin, and the scarcer one by mintage: 309,000 against 484,000 for the VDB Lincoln and 1,825,000 for the No-VDB.
The comparison is worth making because it shows how two coins from the same mint in the same year can live in different markets. The Lincoln is famous because of the initials controversy. The Indian is scarce because it was the last of a fifty-year design, struck in the smallest numbers. Both are keys. They are keys for different reasons, and a collector who owns one should understand the other.
The coin at a glance
Designer James B. Longacre. Struck 1909 at San Francisco only. Composition bronze, 95 percent copper with 5 percent tin and zinc. Weight 3.11 grams, diameter 19 millimetres, plain edge. Obverse: Liberty in a Native American headdress, date below, Longacre's L on the ribbon behind her neck. Reverse: oak wreath with a shield at the top, ONE CENT at the centre, S mint mark below the wreath. Mintage 309,000 — the lowest of any Indian cent. Metal floor: —. A copper cent carries no precious-metal floor, so the live system shows no melt figure for this coin — its worth is collector value alone.
The 1909-S closes the Indian Head series the way the 1877 defines it: by mintage. It is the last coin, the scarcest coin, and the coin that finishes the set. Learn the mint mark, learn the wood grain, and never accept one without certification.
What a 1909-S is worth by grade
The figures below are our researched collector estimates from the live guide, reviewed November 5, 2026. One grade — About Uncirculated — has not been researched yet and shows “—”, not a guess. The table runs from $225–$350 in Good to $5,500–$6,000 in MS-65.
| Grade | Estimated value |
|---|---|
| Good (G-4) | $225–$350 |
| Fine (F-12) | $320–$550 |
| Extremely Fine (XF-40) | $550–$739 |
| About Uncirculated (AU-50) | $1,100 |
| Mint State 60 (MS-60) | $1,000–$1,095 |
| Mint State 65 (MS-65) | $5,500–$6,000 |
Latest reported results for this coin
Checking for newly reported results…
Your 1909-S Indian Head questions, answered
How much is a 1909-S Indian Head cent worth?
The table above carries our researched estimates, reviewed November 5, 2026: $225–$350 in Good, $320–$550 in Fine, $550–$739 in Extremely Fine, $1,000–$1,095 in MS-60, and $5,500–$6,000 in MS-65. Our series guide puts it at $550 in Very Fine and records the finest reaching $97,750.
Why is the 1909-S the scarcest Indian Head cent?
Mintage. Only 309,000 were struck — the lowest of any Indian cent, below even the 1877 at 852,500. It was the final year of a fifty-year design being retired for the Lincoln cent, so the Mint struck only what was needed while the new design ramped up.
Where is the mint mark on a 1909-S Indian Head cent?
On the reverse, below the oak wreath — a small S for San Francisco. Only the 1908-S and 1909-S carry a mint mark; every Indian cent from 1859 to 1907 was struck at Philadelphia and carries none.
How is the 1909-S Indian cent different from the 1909-S Lincoln cent?
They share a year and a mint but not a design. The 1909-S Indian is the last of the fifty-year Indian Head series, struck in 309,000 pieces. The 1909-S Lincoln is the first year of the Lincoln cent, struck in 484,000 with VDB initials and 1,825,000 without. The Indian is scarcer by mintage; the Lincoln is more famous because of the initials controversy.
What is the wood-grain toning on the 1909-S?
A streaky, wood-grain toning caused by an improper metal mix in the bronze strip at San Francisco. It is not damage and not cleaning — on a certified 1909-S it is a badge of origin. A counterfeit made by adding an S to a Philadelphia cent will not show it.
Check your 1909-S Indian Head cent
Run the date through the free Coin Value Checker for an instant estimate, or get a Grade-or-Not verdict on whether your coin is worth certifying. The full series guide is here: Indian Head Penny Values by Date: $2 to $340,875+. Meet its pair — the 1908-S Indian Head cent — and its Lincoln twin, the 1909-S No VDB Lincoln cent.
This guide is written to help collectors recognise the final Indian Head cent — its mintage, its mint mark, and its fakes — for themselves; it is educational reference, and any individual coin should be confirmed by a professional before a decision rests on it.
