1871 Indian Cent. Bold N. MS-65 RB (PCGS).This handsome Gem exhibits a warm blend of deep orange color and glossy copper brown patina. It is sharply struck and carefully preserved and will be just right for a high quality Indian cent collection. The 1871 was produced to the extent of just 3,929,500 pieces, a smaller mintage by the standards of the circulation strike Indian cent series. The Mint Act of 1871 authorized the Mint to redeem earlier dated copper, bronze and copper-nickel cents that had begun accumulating in bank reserves since the end of the Civil War. These excess coins, unwanted in circulation, were melted and the metal obtained used to mint new cents to meet current public demand. In 1874, the Mint improved this seemingly wasteful practice by simply reissuing the redeemed coins alongside newly minted pieces. That was in the future, however, and it is entirely likely that much of the mintage of the 1871, 1872 and 1873 issues never saw actual circulation. According to Rick Snow (2014), most examples of these issues "had [a] short round-trip from the Mint, to the banks and back to the Mint again, where they were melted." With a smaller mintage to begin with and most coins destroyed through this process, it is understandable that the 1871 is a scarce to rare issue in all grades.
