Melt Prices

US · copper · 1864–1909

Indian Head cent bronze melt value

One coin holds 2.955 g of copper (0.00651 lb) at 95% of 3.110 g. At today’s copper price of $6.5215/lb, melt is $0.0425. Collector coppers are usually worth more as coins than as scrap.

Copper melt (base metal) — Copper is priced by the pound, not the troy ounce. Melt here is the copper in the coin at Kitco’s copper bid. Collector coppers are usually worth more as coins than as scrap.

Copper spot / lb
$6.5215/lb

Spot as of Sep 7, 2026 11:10 PM · $1 move in copper changes this coin by $0.0065

Gold
$4,426.50
 Silver
$66.57
 Platinum
$1,820.00
 Palladium
$1,378.00

What this coin is

The Indian Head cent bronze is a copper coin of the United States struck 1864–1909. This page is for the type × composition — every date and mint of this issue has the same metal if the weight and fineness match the spec below. Melt is that metal times today’s spot, not a collector or dealer bid.

What is written on the coin

Read the denomination, the date, and the country name on the coin. People often search the words actually stamped on the piece (for example DOS PESOS or VEINTE PESOS on Mexican gold). Those words are indexed on this site.

Metal content (the melt spec)

Mint specification: 3.1100 grams at 95% copper, which is 2.955 g / 0.00651 lb of copper (ACW). Copper is priced per pound. Formula: grams × fineness ÷ 453.59237 × copper $/lb. Date and mintmark do not change that number. Melt today is $0.0425 per coin at $6.5215/lb copper.

Mintage

Mintage varies by date. We do not publish a year-by-year mintage table here because melt is the same for this composition. A scarce date or a high grade can be worth more than melt; a common worn piece is often near melt.

A little history

This type belongs to the 1864–1909 period in the United States. Use the date on the coin to confirm you have this composition, not a later clad or debased issue of the same design.

How to tell you have this type

Match denomination, metal color, and date range. If two compositions share a design (for example 90% vs clad), the date or the edge (solid silver vs copper stripe) decides which page to use.

Date and mintmark do not change the metal on this page. Collector value is a different market — a shop looks at date, mint, and condition. Melt is the floor.

Same design, different metal: Indian Head cent copper-nickel. Use the page that matches what you actually have.

Copper is a base metal, quoted in dollars per pound (Kitco), not per troy ounce. Melt here is the copper in the coin at that bid. Collector cents are usually worth more as coins than as scrap. Zinc cents from 1982-on have almost no copper.

Shop-counter notes (not a second melt formula): Indian Head cents.

Melt / coin$0.0425
Copper spot / lb$6.5215/lb
Copper in coin2.955 g · 0.00651 lb
Gross weight3.110 g
Fineness95%
Face$0.01
Coins / lb153.5

Figure yours

Count the pieces. A roll of this type varies.

Copper lb 0.0651
Melt $0.4248

If a buyer pays a percent of melt

$0.2975 at 70% of melt

Starts at 70% — a common shop bid on generic metal. Not a quote. Drag or tap a percent to sanity-check an offer.

Open stack

If you want to sell Find a shop near you

A local coin shop can look at what you have. Melt may not be the whole story — dates and condition matter.

US ZIP. We only use it to look up shops on CDXList, the public dealer directory. Not a quote and not a lead form.

Before you sell

Copper melt (base metal)

Copper coins are usually worth more to a collector than as scrap. Melt is the floor. Confirm the type and date before you sell a bag as metal.

Melt is the metal floor. A shop looks at date, mint, and condition. We list 401 types and ~10,200 melt values.

Quick amounts

Using $6.5215/lb copper.

You havePure ozMelt
1 coin 0.0950 $0.0425
10 coins 0.9499 $0.4248
20 coins 1.8998 $0.8496

Melt alert

Email me if this coin’s melt crosses a number I set.

Related types

Same metal, nearby coins.

Indian Head cent copper-nickel 1859–1864 · 0.13213 ACW $0.0684 Classic Head large cent 1808–1814 · 0.35012 ACW $0.1566 Coronet large cent 1816–1839 · 0.35012 ACW $0.1566 Chain large cent 1793 · 0.43339 ACW $0.1938 Wreath large cent 1793 · 0.43339 ACW $0.1938 Liberty Cap large cent 1793–1796 · 0.43339 ACW $0.1938 Draped Bust large cent 1796–1807 · 0.35012 ACW $0.1566 Braided Hair large cent 1839–1857 · 0.35012 ACW $0.1566

Questions people ask

How much copper is in a Indian Head cent bronze?

Mint spec is 3.110 grams at 95% copper, which is 2.955 g / 0.00651 lb of copper. Copper is priced per pound, not per troy ounce. Date and mintmark do not change that.

What is a Indian Head cent bronze worth in melt today?

At copper spot of $6.5215/lb, one coin’s melt is $0.0425. Multiply by how many you have. A collector copper is usually worth more as a coin than as scrap.

How many Indian Head cent bronzes equal one pound of copper?

About 153.53 coins equal 1.00 lb of copper at mint weight.

Does mintmark change the melt value?

No. A Philadelphia, Denver, or San Francisco coin of this type has the same metal. Melt is type × composition, not date or mintmark.

Is melt what I should sell this Indian Head cent bronze for?

Copper is priced by the pound, not the troy ounce. Melt here is the copper in the coin at Kitco’s copper bid. Collector coppers are usually worth more as coins than as scrap. Copper coins are usually worth more to a collector than as scrap. Melt is the floor. Confirm the type and date before you sell a bag as metal.

Is every coin of this design silver?

No. See also the Indian Head cent copper-nickel — same look, different metal. Melt only applies to the composition on this page.

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