1897 Indian Head Cent B1

As the American economy rebounded from the Panic of 1893, the mintage of cents rose to its highest figure since 1890. As a consequence, examples in all grades short of fully red gem are plentiful. This is a challenging issue in such ideal condition, being one of the scarcer dates of the decade.

The usual assortment of die-punching varieties are noted for this date, and interested persons are referred to the excellent, multi-volume series of books by Rick Snow devoted to listing and illustrating these varieties.