Indian head penny smaller than current penny?

Answer 1

No. The Indian Head Penny, first issued in 1859, and the current penny are the same diameter, 19 mm. However, the early issues of the Indian Head Penny were actually almost twice as heavy as the current zinc pennies with a weight of 4.67 grams as compared to the 2.5 grams of the zinc cent. These heavy cents were comprised of 88% copper and 12% nickel and were minted until 1864 when the composition was changed to 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc. This new composition weighed 3.11 grams which became the standard weight for the cent until 1982 when the copper plated zinc cent was introduced. The only exception to this weight was in 1943 when the cents were minted from zinc plated steel and had a weight of 2.70 grams. So, although the penny is still the same size as it was in 1859 it is much lighter.