1898 Indian Head Cent

Cents of 1898 are plentiful in all grades short of fully red gem.

Collectors are cautioned to look for well struck examples. The coin illustrated, while lustrous and retaining much red color, is poorly struck at the date and shield. As these features are directly opposite each other in the press, this suggests that the die faces were not perfectly parallel to one another. The portions of the die which were slightly further apart thus did not strike up fully.

Numerous date-punching varieties are known for this date, but few of them have broad appeal.