Indian Head Cent 1900 G-VG

At the turn of the century, the population in the United States was over 75 million, much of the recent boom in population was due to immigration. Hawaii became a territory of the United States, but would wait decades until becoming a state. Americans continued to innovate. Orville and Wilbur were getting very close to inventing the world’s first airplane. In 1900, they created a glider to test some of their theories. Those wealthier Americans owned roughly 8,000 automobiles, although there was only 10 miles of paved roads by 1900. The politician William Jennings Bryan ran for president a second time losing to the incumbent, William McKinley. As history would show, his running mate, Theodore Roosevelt, would prove instrumental in the coming year. The Congress passed an act authorizing the Treasury to purchase and melt all out of date or damaged coins from the public. The US Mint would begin to recoin them all. Also in 1900, the US Mint issued its first commemorative dollar in honor of the French general famous for his actions in the American Revolutionary War, Marquis de Lafayette.

This would be a record breaking number of pennies minted by the US Mint in 1900. Over 66,000,000 were issued that year, but this would actually prove to be a low for the decade! This year, the Mint director also called for pennies to be made at the San Francisco and New Orleans Mint. Only one of which would get the honor in the coming decade. It appears that not many were saved from this year and most are heavily worn and graded lowly. Presently there are enough high grade cents to satisfy collector demand, but it is a tougher date to find in the highest echelon of grades.

This year’s proof issues are just as readily available as others in the decade. Higher graded proof Indian Head cents are scacer, but many collect this year for a turn of the century proof set. As with every other date of Indian Head cents, most varieties this year are repunched dates. Most are unpopular. There is a curiosity from this year. Three 1900 Indian Head cents were struck in gold and at least one in silver. This was likely done without the Mint’s management’s knowledge, but it does cause much interest today! If you have any questions regarding the Indian Head Cent or varieties, please contact any of our knowledgeable staff at 800-735-1311, and we’ll be happy to assist you!

• Denomination: Cent
• Year: 1900
• Diameter: 19 mm
• Mint Mark: N/A
• Thickness: 1.5 mm
• Grade: Ungraded