1914-D penny: mintage, value factors and how to spot an altered coin

The 1914-D Lincoln cent is a key date because the Denver Mint struck only 1,193,000 cents in 1914, according to the Mint's own coinage table. That makes it a favorite target for forgers, so check the date, the D and Lincoln's shoulder before getting excited.

By the Coin Scanner team · Updated 2026-10-13

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Why the 1914-D is scarce

The Director of the Mint's annual report for fiscal 1915 includes a table of coinage struck during calendar year 1914. Philadelphia produced 75,238,432 cents and San Francisco 4,137,000, while Denver made just 1,193,000. Out of 80,568,432 cents struck that year, fewer than one and a half percent carried the D. That small output is why NGC counts the 1914-D among the key dates of the series, alongside coins such as the 1909-S VDB.

How fakes are made

NGC places the 1914-D fourth on its list of the most commonly counterfeited U.S. coins it receives. It says most of the fakes it sees are complete forgeries, followed by coins with an added mint mark and the occasional altered date. In practice you will meet three kinds:

• Altered 1944-D: someone whittles the third digit of a common 1944-D cent (the first 4) down until it looks like a 1, so the coin reads 1914-D.
• Added D: a D attached to a 1914 Philadelphia cent, which has no mint mark of its own.
• Counterfeits: coins struck or cast from false dies. A fake described in a March 2026 NGC article had very weak detail, mushy rims, long die scratches through OF on the reverse, a bulbous date and mint mark, artificial coloring, and a metal content over 99% copper instead of the genuine alloy.

How to check a 1914-D penny

1. Look at Lincoln's shoulder first. The designer's initials were dropped from the cent in 1909 and put back in 1918 as tiny letters at the bottom of Lincoln's shoulder. A cent struck in 1944 therefore shows V.D.B. there; a genuine 1914-D does not. If you can see initials on the shoulder, the date has been altered.
2. Examine the date. NGC stresses that the date and mint mark are where alterations happen. Under magnification, tool marks, scraped or smoothed metal around the third digit, or a 1 that looks thinner or differently shaped than the other digits all suggest a carved 4.
3. Study the D. Mint marks were punched into each working die by hand, so position and tilt differ from die to die. A die study summarized by CopperCoins lists four known 1914-D obverse dies, each with its own mint mark placement and tilt, plus die cracks or scratches on some. A D that does not match any of them, or that shows a seam or disturbed metal around it, is suspect.
4. Weigh it. NGC gives 3.11 g as the expected weight, a quick screen that a gram scale can handle. Passing the weight test does not prove anything, but a coin well off the mark is a warning.
5. Check overall quality. Soft, mushy lettering and rims or unnatural color point toward a counterfeit, as in the NGC example above.

What drives a 1914-D's value

In its March 2026 article NGC described the 1914-D as a coin worth hundreds of dollars in most grades and many thousands in mint state. Where a particular coin lands depends on its grade (amount of wear), whether it is uncirculated with original red, red-brown or brown color, how sharp the strike is, and whether it has problems such as cleaning, corrosion or scratches. Certification by an independent grading service adds confidence, and for this date many buyers will not pay key-date money without it.

For a quick starting point, scan the front and back with Coin Scanner. It reads the date and mint mark from your photos and shows an estimated value range. That estimate is not an authentication: because altered and counterfeit 1914-D cents are so common, have any promising coin examined and graded by a professional service before you sell or buy.

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