1905 Indian Head Cent

This high mintage date is readily available in all grades through fully red gem. The example illustrated displays "woodgrain" toning from an uneven mix of the alloy. When the planchet strip is rolled out, any irregularities will be drawn in this manner, and toning brings out the resulting draw lines.

Numerous minor varieties are known for this date, as such a large mintage required hundreds of dies for both obverse and reverse.