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The obverse features a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, our 16th U.S. President. The motto "In God We Trust" appeared for the first time on a U.S. cent when this new design was struck in 1909. The word "Liberty" remained on the obverse however the words "United States of America" was moved to the reverse side of the coin. The obverse also has the date when produced and a mint mark below the date if minted by either the Denver or San Francisco Mints. Lincoln cents struck at the Philadelphia Mint have never exhibited a mint mark.
The reverse design of Lincoln cents minted from 1909 to 1958 feature the wheat stalk design and are known to collectors as "wheat cents", "wheat pennies" or "wheaties". The words "E Pluribus Unum", meaning "One From Many", was also added for the first time on a U.S. cent in 1909. The reverse also still carries the stated denomination of "One Cent".
The Lincoln Memorial reverse design has been used on Lincoln cents since 1959 and is still in use today.
The Lincoln cent was first struck in 1909 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. The 1909-1958 obverse and reverse was designed by Victor D. Brenner. The Lincoln Memorial reverse of 1959 was designed by Frank Gasparro and honors Lincoln's 150th anniversary of his birth.
The first Lincoln cents struck in 1909 featured the designer's initials V.D.B. on the reverse below the wheat stalks along the rim at the 6 o'clock position. Some people may have thought that it was awfully vain of the designer to place his initials on America's coin and so the V.D.B. initials were removed earlier in the first year of production. Lincoln cents were produced without his initials on later 1909 cents and through 1917. After much debate his initials reappeared in 1918. The 1918 cents featured Mr. Brenner's VDB initials below the bust of Lincoln in a not so obvious place. His initials have remained since and can still be found on the obverse of today's Lincoln cents. The "VDB" initials may be difficult to see on Lincoln Cents that are not well struck. Frank Gasparro's "FG" initials are found to the right of the Lincoln Memorial at the base on the reverse on cents dated 1959 to date.
 1909 "VDB" Cent |
 Modern Cent with "VDB" Initials |
Lincoln cents minted from 1909 to 1942 are bronze (copper, tin and zinc) like the Indian Head cent produced before them. The 1943 war-time cents are made of steel and plated with zinc. Recycled World War II brass shell cartridge cases (copper mixed with a small percentage of zinc) were used to produce Lincoln cents from 1944 to 1946. The original composition of copper, tin and zinc was used again from 1947 until 1962. In 1962 the composition was changed slightly to just copper and zinc and was used through the first half of 1982. In the last half of 1982, probably due to the rising cost of copper, the composition was drastically changed to zinc plated with a thin coating of copper. Today's Lincoln cent is really only about 2% copper.
Lincoln cents were produced at the Philadelphia Mint (no mint mark), the Denver Mint ("D" mint mark) and the San Francisco Mint ("S" mint mark).
The key date to the Lincoln cent series is the 1909-S VDB cent produced at the San Francisco Mint. Semi-key dates are the 1909-S, 1914-D, 1922 plain and 1931-S cents.
In 1922 Lincoln cents were only produced by the Denver Mint. After heavy use of the dies used to strike the coins, the dies are often polished to extend their useful life. The "D" mint mark on one of these 1922 dies was polished completely off the face of the die. This die variety, known as die variety number two, is highly sought after by collectors and commands a premium price. There are at least two other known die varieties with missing mint marks similar to the previous one mentioned however these still show a very light trace of the mint mark and are not worth near as much as the 1922 "plain" cent. The 1922 plain cent can be identified as having a mushy looking obverse and a strongly struck reverse. The last number "2" in the date will be sharp compared to the first number "2" and LIBERTY will touch the rim. There will also be absolutely no trace of the "D" mint mark. Counterfeits with the "D" mint mark removed are also known to exist.
Other earlier better date Lincoln cents with lower mintages, well within the means of the novice collector, are the 1910-S, 1911-D, 1911-S, 1912-D, 1912-S, 1913-S, 1914-S, 1915-S, 1922-D, 1924-D and 1926-S. Only slightly better date cents are the 1931-D, 1932, 1933 and 1933-D. Most wheats cents minted after World War II, except for a few varieties, are very common.
There are many different varieties of certain date Lincoln cents too numerous to mention here. There are doubled die varieties, repunched mint marks and dates, cents minted using the wrong planchets, missing mint marks and more errors.
The most publicized error is probably the 1955 doubled die cent. The doubling is so distinct that when examined without a magnifying lens the word Liberty and the date appear to be blurred. Other popular doubled dies include the 1972 cent with the motto "In God We Trust" doubled and the 1984 cent with Lincoln's ear doubled. The 1983 doubled die variety has the words "One Cent" on the reverse doubled. A recent doubled die discovery is the seemingly common 1995 cent with a slight doubling of the word Liberty. There are also several other doubled die varieties known.
Large and small date varieties exist for the 1960 "P" & "D" and the 1970 "S" mint cents. The 1960 and 1960-D large and small date varieties made for circulation may be slightly difficult for the novice collector to spot. However, many coin dealers may sell these varieties in an inexpensive set in Uncirculated condition. There are also Proof 1960 large and small date cents and the pair can be had for probably about three to four times the price of the Uncirculated set.
 1960-D Large Date Cent |
 1960-D Small Date Cent |
The 1970-S large and small date cent varieties may be a little easier for the novice to distinguish. On the large date cent the "7" in the date will extend just slightly below the "0". The small date variety will display the "7" just about even with the top and bottom of the "0" in the date. There are also 1970-S large and small date Proof varieties. The 1970-S small date Proof cent is worth a considerable amount more than the large date variety and is also more valuable than the 1960 small date Proof cent.
In 1982 there were seven different cent varieties produced for circulation. These are the 1982 large date, 1982 small date and the 1982-D large date "copper" varieties plus the 1982 large and small date cents and the 1982-D large and small date copper-plated zinc cents. This is another inexpensive set that many coin dealers sell.
There are also many varieties of certain date Proof cents. One example are the 1979-S and 1981-S Proof Lincoln cents that were originally available to collectors in Proof sets. There are two types for each of these coins that the novice collector is sure to find. The "Type 1" coins exhibit an "S" mint mark that is not very clear and appears to be filled. The "Type 2" coins have a sharper and much more clear looking mint mark.
Copyright © 1999 Paul D. Tadlock