Penny guides

Short, plain guides to checking pennies: key dates, mint marks, doubled dies, condition and what an estimate means.

Most valuable pennies · What are pennies made of? · Penny value chart · Penny errors list · Mintage by year · Penny weight and size · Pennies per roll

How to check

• How to check a penny in 60 seconds
  Five quick checks in the right order (date, mint mark, design, metal and condition) to tell a common penny from one worth a closer look. · 3 min read
• Where's the mint mark? P, D, S and W on every US penny
  Where to find the mint mark on Lincoln, Indian Head and Flying Eagle pennies, and what P, D, S, W and no letter mean. · 3 min read
• 1982 penny: copper or zinc? The weight test
  The seven regular combinations, date-size clues and how to interpret individual weights. A coarse kitchen scale cannot authenticate a rare coin. · 3 min read
• How to photograph a coin for the best scan
  Simple phone tips for sharp coin photos: soft light, a flat angle, a close-up of the date, and no glare on red coins or holders. · 3 min read

Key dates

• Lincoln penny key dates: the short list worth knowing
  Selected scarce dates, metal errors and varieties to investigate. Initial checks and catalogue estimates do not authenticate a find. · 3 min read
• Wheat pennies 1909–1958: key dates, semi-keys and what's common
  Which Wheat penny dates are key dates and semi-keys, why most are common, and a simple way to sort a jar. · 3 min read
• The 1909-S VDB: how to spot a real one
  How to check the S, the V.D.B. initials and the usual fakes on the most famous Lincoln penny, and why authentication matters. · 3 min read

Varieties & errors

• 1943 pennies: the steel penny, the rare copper one and the magnet test
  Why most 1943 cents are steel, how to examine a possible bronze error and why magnet, weight and date checks are only an initial assessment. · 3 min read
• 1944 steel penny: the error that sticks to a magnet
  A normal 1944 penny is copper alloy. Here is how a rare steel one happened, and how to test a grey 1944 before you get your hopes up. · 3 min read
• Doubled dies explained: the 1955 and real vs. machine doubling
  How doubled dies happen, how real doubling differs from machine and die-wear doubling, and what to check on a 1955 penny. · 3 min read
• 1969-S and 1972 doubled die pennies
  How to check a 1969-S or 1972 penny for the famous doubled dies, and how to spot the fakes and machine doubling that fool people. · 4 min read
• Close AM and Wide AM: the 1992 and 1998–2000 varieties
  How to read the A and M in AMERICA, and which way round is rare for 1992 pennies and for 1998 to 2000 pennies. · 3 min read

Condition

• Grading basics for pennies: from Good to Mint State
  The 1 to 70 grading scale in plain words, where Lincoln pennies wear first, and why a grade from photos is only an estimate. · 3 min read
• Red, Red-Brown or Brown: why a penny's color matters
  What RD, RB and BN mean on a copper penny, why red coins sell for more, and why original color can never be restored. · 3 min read

Care & selling

• Don't clean that penny: handling and storing coins
  Why cleaning lowers a coin's value, how to handle coins by the edges, and which holders and storage spots keep them safe. · 3 min read
• Where to get a penny graded or sold — and when it's worth it
  What PCGS and NGC do, submission routes and total costs, selling options and checks before paying or shipping. · 3 min read
• How Penny Value estimates a penny's value
  Understand recorded sales, scarcity models, value rules and the limits of a penny estimate. · 3 min read

History

• The end of the penny: what 2025 means for collectors
  The Mint struck its last circulating pennies in November 2025. What the Omega pennies and 2026 collector cents mean for your jar. · 3 min read