1882 Indian Head Penny

The 1882 Indian Head Penny is an iconic piece of American history that is the apple of most collectors’ eye. Being that the coins themselves are well over 100 years old, it goes without saying that they are a bit harder to attain than coins minted within the last few decades. For collectors, getting their hands on these coins is difficult enough, but getting their hands on a piece that is in good condition is even more difficult.

Being that no one wants to add a shabby coin to their collection, the hunt is constantly on to find an 1882 in pristine condition.

Grading the 1882 Indian Head Penny

For collectors, the condition a coin is in means everything. Because these coins are so old, they are expected to be in poor condition, so it is extremely rare to find one that looks great. As far as officially judging the condition of a coin is concerned, this process is known as grading and can be done by professional coin grading services. For those who do not want to send their coins away but would still like to know its grade, you can use the specifications below to determine a rough grade for the coin(s) you own.

Of course, this grade will not be official until you pay an expert to look very closely and determine its exact grade.

Uncirculated: An Uncirculated Indian Head Penny is one that never exchanged hands on the open market. These pennies look as though they were just produced with the exception of some of the luster having worn away. As you could have probably guessed, these coins are extremely difficult to find and are scooped up by collectors quickly.

Extremely Fine: An Extremely Fine Indian Head is one that shows very minimal signs of wear and tear. Because they were in circulation you can expect to see some wear, but because its time in circulation was limited, so too will the wear be. These coins are also quite difficult to find.

Fine: A coin in this condition will be complete with a good amount of scratching and wear. You will notice that much of the raised aspects of the coin have been worn down due to the exchanging of hands over the years. The coin’s original luster will be all but eliminated, but the coin’s imagery will still be able to be made out without too much trouble or strain.

Good: Good describes a coin that has seen its fair share of time in circulation. These coins will show wear such that the faces are scratched, chipped, and generally quite beat up. Since these coins were in circulation for decades upon decades, their condition is a perfect description of how much they were traded and exchanged on a day to day basis.

Pricing the 1882 Indian Head Penny

In order to give your 1882 Indian Head an accurate price, you must consider nothing beyond the grade and condition. As is the case with most every Indian Head, the coins that carry the higher price tags are the ones that are in solid condition. By using the chart below, you can determine how much you can expect to pay for an Indian Head given the grade it received.

1882 Indian Head Penny

DATE	GOOD	FINE	EXTREMELY FINE	UNCIRCULATED
1882	$5	$8	$25	$35
Source: Red Book