1864 Copper Nickel Proof

The 1864 Copper-Nickel proof is the final proof Indian Head cent struck in the original pale alloy. With the mid-year transition to bronze, the copper-nickel proof became a terminal issue. The Mint produced approximately 370 copper-nickel proofs before switching to bronze planchets for the remainder of the year's proof production.

The copper-nickel proof has the bright, silvery reflectivity that characterized all proofs in this alloy from 1857 onward. Comparing a copper-nickel proof with a bronze proof from the same year shows two entirely different presentations of the same design. The copper-nickel version is cool and metallic; the bronze is warm and organic. Both are legitimate proofs from the same year, documenting the Mint's mid-year composition change from the proof collector's perspective.