I recently came into possession of about 100 old coins that I'm going through, and I have a question. One of the coins is an 1864 Indian Head Cent, and I'm trying to determine if it's a Copper-Nickel, or Bronze variety. As best I can tell, there is no "L" on the back of the neck. I realize the Cooper-Nickel variety wieghs 1.56 grams more than the bronze, but short of buying a scale, is there a simpler method of determining which one I have? Thanks a lot.
Yes, there is. You can tell the difference between the Copper-Nickel variety and the Bronze variety simply by looking at the two side-by-side. The Copper-Nickel cents have a beefier, more thick, and fuller appearance than their bronze counterparts and their color is somewhat lighter as well. So if your 1864 looks the same as your 1865 - 1909 Indian Cents then it is the Bronze variety.
