Lincoln Memorial penny errors and varieties worth looking for

Most Lincoln Memorial cents (1959-2008) are worth face value, but a short list of die varieties can be worth far more: the 1969-S, 1972 and 1995 doubled dies, the 1970-S small date, the 1983 doubled reverse, the 1984 doubled ear and the 1992 close AM. A 5x-10x loupe and a scale that reads to 0.1 gram will sort most of them out.

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

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Why so many varieties exist

The Lincoln Memorial cent was struck by the billions every year, from thousands of dies. Each die was made from a hub, and when a hub impression was misaligned the die produced doubled lettering on every coin it struck (a doubled die, explained in our 1955 doubled die guide). The Mint also replaced worn master hubs several times, which created date-size and lettering-spacing varieties, and in 1982 the metal itself changed. Those three causes account for nearly every valuable Memorial cent below.

Key Memorial cent varieties at a glance

The doubled dies: 1969-S, 1972, 1983 and 1995

1969-S. This is the great rarity of the series. Federal agents were already chasing counterfeit 1969 doubled cents when genuine San Francisco examples turned up in 1970, so some real coins were seized and destroyed before the variety was accepted (CoinWeek). Because S mint marks were punched into each working die separately after hubbing, the S on a genuine coin is single even though the lettering is doubled; a doubled S suggests machine doubling instead. Stack's Bowers has estimated 40 to 50 examples, while PCGS experts have suggested about 30. A PCGS MS66RD example with CAC approval sold for $601,875 at GreatCollections in January 2023.

1972. The strongest 1972 doubled die (Die 1) shows wide separation on the date, LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST, visible without magnification. CoinWeek notes specialist references track up to nine different 1972 doubled dies, most of them much weaker.

1983 doubled reverse. Turn the coin over: the doubling is on ONE CENT and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and on strong examples on E PLURIBUS UNUM too.

1995. The last naked-eye doubled die of the century shows its spread mostly on LIBERTY. So many were saved after its discovery that it is the most affordable of the group.

1984 doubled ear

Discovered in 1984, this variety shows a clearly doubled earlobe on Lincoln's portrait. CONECA explains that the doubling also reaches the beard, bow tie and vest, which helps separate it from coins with a dent or plating flaw near the ear. Similar but distinct doubled ears exist for 1988 and 1997.

1970-S small date and the 1982 date sizes

The Mint used two obverse hubs for 1970-S cents. On the scarce small date, NGC describes the digits as sitting level, the 0 as round and the word LIBERTY as mushy; on the common large date the 7 sits lower than the 9 and 0 and LIBERTY is crisp.

1982 is the year the cent changed metal. The Mint's 1982 annual report records the switch from bronze (95% copper, 5% zinc, 3.11 grams) to copper-plated zinc (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper, 2.50 grams), with the diameter unchanged. A new obverse hub with a smaller date arrived the same year, giving seven business-strike combinations. On the small date the 8 is about the same height as the 1 and 2; on the large date it looks taller and fatter. Lincoln cent specialist Charles Daughtrey told CoinWeek that the Philadelphia small-date zinc cent is the toughest of the regular 1982 types.

Close AM and wide AM reverses

Look at the letters A and M in AMERICA on the reverse. Dies with widely spaced AM were meant for proof coins, and on those dies the designer's initials FG also sit farther from the Memorial's base (CoinWeek). NGC reports that 1992-D, 1998, 1999 and 2000 cents exist with either reverse. For 1998, 1999 and 2000 the wide AM is the scarce one; for 1992 it is the other way round, and the close AM is the prize. The first 1992-D close AM was found in December 2001. A PCGS MS66RD 1992-D close AM sold for $9,600 at Heritage on November 6, 2023, while CoinWeek says Mint State red examples through MS64 have brought $3,000 to $4,000.

How to check your Memorial cents

1. Read date and mint mark under the date (see where is the mint mark).
2. Use a 5x-10x loupe on the date, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, the ear, and the reverse legends. Real hub doubling is rounded and separated; flat, shelf-like doubling is machine doubling and carries little or no premium.
3. Weigh 1982 and 1983 cents on a scale reading to 0.1 g. Zinc cents should be close to 2.5 g, so a later-dated cent near 3.11 g is unusual and worth a closer look.
4. Check AM spacing on 1992, 1998, 1999 and 2000 cents.
5. Rule out damage. Zinc cents often show mottled color and small bumps or surface defects from the plating, which are not valuable mint errors.

If you find a candidate, photograph both sides with Coin Scanner to read the date and mint mark and see an estimated value range. Remember it is an estimate: rare varieties such as the 1969-S, 1970-S small date and 1992 close AM should be authenticated and graded by a professional service before you sell.

2009 Bicentennial and Shield cents

In 2009 the Memorial reverse was replaced by four designs tracing Lincoln's life, from the Kentucky log cabin to his presidency in Washington. Since 2010 the reverse has shown a Union shield with 13 stripes, E PLURIBUS UNUM on the top bar and ONE CENT on a scroll, designed by Lyndall Bass and sculpted by Joseph Menna. In 2017 Philadelphia cents carried a P mint mark for the first time, and in 2019 the Mint sold W-marked West Point cents in collector sets. CoinWeek notes that no major Shield cent varieties are recognized yet. For older Lincoln cents, see our wheat penny value guide and the 1943 steel penny guide.

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