Grading the Lincoln Cent
The Lincoln cent has been made since 1909 and is one of the most collected U.S. coins. To grade one, look first at Lincoln's cheek and jaw and the hair by his ear for wear, then (on older 'wheat' cents) check how many lines show in the wheat stalks. Copper spots and cleaning are common problems. Be very careful with famous rare dates like the 1909-S VDB and the 1943 copper cent, which are frequently faked.
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New to grading? Start with how to grade a coin, step by step, and the Sheldon 1-70 scale.
At a glance
| Years | 1909-present |
|---|---|
| Designer | Victor David Brenner (obverse, all subtypes; 'V.D.B.' initials, moved to the obverse shoulder truncation in 1918). Frank Gasparro designed the 1959 Memorial reverse. The 2010 Union Shield reverse was designed by Lyndall Bass and sculpted by Joseph Menna. |
| Denomination | One cent |
| Specifications | Diameter 19 mm. Weight 3.11 g for the bronze cent (1909-1982); reduced to 2.5 g with the 1982 switch to copper-plated zinc. 1982 exists in both bronze and zinc compositions. |
Composition over time
| Period | Composition |
|---|---|
| 1909-1942 | Bronze: 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc |
| 1943 | Zinc-coated steel (wartime copper conservation; magnetic) |
| 1944-1946 | 'Shell-case' brass: 95% copper, 5% zinc (tin omitted) |
| 1947-1962 | Bronze: 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc |
| 1962-1982 | Brass: 95% copper, 5% zinc (tin removed) |
| 1982-present | Copper-plated zinc: ~99.2% zinc core / 0.8% copper, with pure copper plating (~2.5% copper overall) |
Major subtypes
| Subtype | Years |
|---|---|
| Lincoln Wheat (Wheat Ears reverse) | 1909-1958 |
| Lincoln Memorial | 1959-2008 |
| Lincoln Bicentennial (four reverses) | 2009 |
| Lincoln Union Shield | 2010-present |
Where wear shows first
- Obverse: Lincoln's cheek and jaw (jawline is where the first trace of circulation rub appears, e.g., the AU-58/MS-60 distinction)
- Obverse: hair detail above and around the ear
- Wheat reverse: the parallel lines of the wheat stalks (a coin showing only a few wheat lines is typically in the Very Good range)
Common weak-strike areas
- 1926-S is notorious for weak obverse strikes (soft hair, beard, ear; weak LIBERTY and mintmark)
- General reverse weakness in lettering (e.g., parts of ONE / AMERICA) on softly struck dies
- 1922 'Weak D' / 'No D' results from worn/filled Denver dies (a die/strike issue, not wear)
Strike designations
Copper coins get a color designation alongside the grade: RD (red), RB (red-brown), and BN (brown). PCGS requires 95% or more original mint red for RD, 5-95% for RB, and under 5% for BN; NGC draws the lines at roughly 85% red for RD and about 15% as the RB floor, so an NGC RD can be a PCGS RB. Both services apply color designations only to coins grading MS-60 or better. Full original red is where the money is: an MS-65RD can bring many times an MS-65BN of the same date.
Grading circulated coins
Good (G-4): Lincoln is worn to an outline with only part of the ear and bow tie surviving, the date is readable but soft, and the wheat stalks are nearly flat with just a few grains showing. Very Good (VG-8): perhaps a third of the wheat lines return, kernels in the lower stalks take basic shape, and a hint of the jawline separates from the face. Fine (F-12): the lower jaw is fully outlined, some hair detail shows at the top of the head, and most wheat lines are visible with kernels clearly outlined. Very Fine (VF-20): wheat lines are essentially complete with only slight blending at the tips, and the cheek and jaw show faint but definite separation. Extremely Fine (EF-40): wear is confined to the hair above the ear, the cheekbone, and the highest wheat-stalk tips; the ear, sideburn, and brow are complete. About Uncirculated (AU-50): only a whisper of friction on the cheekbone and jaw, with luster surviving among the letters and wheat stalks. Caveat: 1922 cents from worn and filled Denver dies can show a weak or missing D and a mushy obverse that mimics heavy wear; that is die deterioration, not circulation. Streaky 'woodgrain' surfaces on 1910s-20s cents are an alloy-mixing artifact, not damage.
Grading Mint State coins
In Mint State the grade turns on the cheek and jaw as focal areas, on freedom from carbon spots and fingerprints (copper's special hazards), and on luster; strike matters most in the wheat-line tips and hair. Color matters as much as grade for value: the RD, RB, and BN designations described under strike designations can multiply a coin's price at the same numeric grade.
Key dates
- 1909-S VDB, the series icon: 484,000 struck with the designer's initials before their removal; heavily counterfeited via added mintmarks and initials
- 1914-D, the toughest regular-issue key in high grade; beware altered 1944-D dates
- 1922 'plain' (No D), from a filled Denver die pair; only Die Pair 2, with a strong reverse and truly absent D, brings full key-date money
- 1931-S, low mintage (866,000) but widely hoarded, so more available in Mint State than the number suggests
- 1955 Doubled Die Obverse, the most famous U.S. variety, with doubling of the date and legends plainly visible to the naked eye
Semi-key dates
- 1909-S (without VDB), 1,825,000 struck, a solid semi-key
- 1924-D and 1926-S, condition semi-keys that are genuinely scarce with sharp strikes and full red color
Major varieties
- 1909 VDB Doubled Die Obverse, a popular first-year variety
- 1917, 1936, and 1958 Doubled Die Obverses (the 1958 is an extreme rarity with only a few known)
- 1943 bronze and 1944 steel off-metal errors, the six- and five-figure transitional rarities
- 1922-D 'Weak D' die states, collected alongside (but priced far below) the true No D
Common problems
- Carbon spots / 'flyspecks' (small black corrosion spots), common on copper due to its reactivity
- Toning and color change (mint red to brown) as copper oxidizes; humidity and salt air accelerate spotting
- Verdigris and improper cleaning; dipping copper nearly always ruins it; corrosion already present cannot be reversed
- Environmental damage and PVC residue
Counterfeit & alteration risks
- 1909-S VDB: described as among the most counterfeited/altered collectible coins; commonly faked by adding an 'S' mintmark to a Philadelphia coin (genuine 'S' has a diagnostic shape) or altering dates
- 1914-D: frequently created by altering a genuine 1944-D (date spacing is wrong on fakes)
- 1943 bronze (copper) cent: faked by copper-plating a 1943 steel cent or altering a 1948 date; genuine bronze is non-magnetic (~3.11 g) while plated-steel fakes are magnetic (~2.7 g)
- 1955 Doubled Die Obverse, 1969-S DDO, 1972 DDO: counterfeited (often via transfer dies); genuine pieces have specific die diagnostics
- Also commonly altered/faked: 1922 'No D', 1931-S
For the advanced grader
Grade the obverse on jaw/cheek rub and hair definition; the AU-58/MS-60 line often turns on the faintest friction on Lincoln's jawline. On wheat reverses, wheat-line completeness tracks the circulated grade. Evaluate strike separately (1926-S weakness; 1922 die-fill 'No D'). Copper is reactive: judge originality of color and watch for spots, verdigris, and past cleaning, which copper shows readily and which conservation cannot reverse once corrosion has set in. For key dates, authenticate before grading using mintmark shape, date spacing, weight, and magnetism (1943 bronze).
Photographic examples
Click any image to enlarge and zoom. Where shown, obverse, reverse, and edge views are of the same coin and year.
Same coin: 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat cent
More cents to explore
Sources: United States Mint · Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) · Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) · Coin World · American Numismatic Association (ANA)
Evidence pages
Related terms
Doubled Die · Machine Doubling · Planchet · Wear · Weak Strike · Counterfeit