The story of one of the most popular of U.S. coins, the Indian Head cent, was first tackled in the pages of Coins magazine in an article in the March 1965 issue by Robert Obojski.
“The Indian head cent ranked as one of the favorite coins among American collectors for many years, and interest in this long series continues to increase,” Obojski wrote. “Not many years ago, an Indian head cent could occasionally be found in change. Though this very seldom occurs now, many varieties of Indian heads are still within the reach of the collector of modest means.
“The introduction of the Flying Eagle cent and the Indian head in the late 1850’s marked the beginning of a new era in United States coinage. Minting of the half-cent was stopped altogether in 1857.
“By 1857, the cost of making and distributing copper coins had risen markedly. Mint Director James R. Snowden reported that they ‘barely paid expenses.’ Both large cents and half-cents had become unpopular; in fact, they circulated
