1864 Copper-Nickel

The 1864 Copper-Nickel Indian Head cent represents the last production of the original composition before the mid-year switch to bronze. The cents struck early in 1864, before the Act of April 22 authorized the change, used the same 88% copper, 12% nickel alloy that had been standard since the Flying Eagle cents of 1857. The pale, whitish coins are immediately distinguishable from the brown bronze cents that replaced them.

Production of copper-nickel cents in 1864 was relatively brief, limited to the first few months of the year before the new bronze planchets became available. The 1864 Copper-Nickel is consequently scarcer than the 1864 Bronze, though it is not rare. The coin is collected as the final copper-nickel Indian Head cent, the last of a subtype that ran from 1859 through early 1864.

For type collectors, the 1864 Copper-Nickel serves alongside the 1864 Bronze as a pair documenting the composition transition. The two coins share a date and a design but look nothing alike. Placed side by side, they demonstrate why the Mint made the change: the bronze coin is warmer in color, sharper in strike, and more visually appealing at the cent denomination's small scale.