1969-S Doubled Die Obverse Penny Value

1969-S Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln Cent

Key date

A rare doubled-die variety from San Francisco.

1969-S Doubled Die Obverse Penny: front (type example, 2005-D Memorial cent) — Type example: 2005-D Memorial cent and 2005-D Memorial reverse. Your coin's date and mint mark may differ.
Photo credits
United States Mint image (PD; front, back)

1969-S Doubled Die Obverse Penny: back (type example, 2005-D Memorial reverse) — Type example: 2005-D Memorial cent and 2005-D Memorial reverse. Your coin's date and mint mark may differ.
Photo credits
United States Mint image (PD; front, back)

Often fakedCheck the date, S mint mark and doubling against an authenticated example. Have it authenticated by PCGS or NGC before buying or selling. Check the signs below and weigh it.

Value by condition

Penny Value estimate · values as of Q4 2026

Worn (Good to Very Fine)

$2,500 – $7,400

G-4 – VF-20

Uncirculated (MS-60)

$19,000

Brown

By grade

Typical value at each grade and colour. Penny Value estimate.
Grade	Brown	Red-Brown	Red
G-4Good	$2,500	—	—
VG-8Very Good	$3,700	—	—
F-12Fine	$5,400	—	—
VF-20Very Fine	$7,400	—	—
XF-40Extremely Fine	$11,000	—	—
AU-50About Uncirculated	$13,000	—	—
MS-60Mint State (Uncirculated)	$19,000	$20,000	—
MS-63Mint State (Uncirculated)	$26,000	$27,000	$58,000
MS-65Mint State (Uncirculated)	$110,000	$110,000	$230,000

Values as of Q4 2026 · Penny Value estimate · based on 5 recorded sales

Penny Value estimate, 2026-Q4, from public sale records, mintage and survival data. It isn't a price guide or an offer.

How Penny Value estimates values

Check your own penny

Take a photo of each side. Penny Value reads the date and the mint mark, tells you if it could be a 1969-S Doubled Die Obverse and what to check.

Check your own penny

Penny Value is an Android app for now, so it isn't on the App Store. The values and checks on this page are free to use.Penny Value is an Android app. Open this page on your Android phone to check your own penny with a photo.

How to identify it

S mint mark below the date
Strong doubling on LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and the date
A 1969 'doubled die' without the S is a known counterfeit type

What to check

What a genuine 1969-S Doubled Die Obverse shows:

Doubled die obverse (1969s): YesOn this 1969s cent, is there strong, rounded, separated doubling (not flat shelf-like machine doubling) on LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and the date (with an S mint mark present)?
S mint mark under the date: YesIs there a small letter S directly below the date on the heads side?

To check yours, photograph

Date close-up
Mint mark close-up
Lettering close-up

Specs

Series: Lincoln Memorial Cent
Year: 1969
Mint: San Francisco
Mint mark: Below the date, on the front
Metal: Brass (95% copper, 5% zinc)
Weight: 3.11 g
Mintage: Included in the 544,375,000 1969-S total; not counted separately.
Source: Wikipedia
Variety number: FS-101
Designer: Victor David Brenner (obverse), Frank Gasparro (reverse)

Other varieties of this date

1969-S
San Francisco · Included in the 544,375,000 1969-S total; not counted separately.
4¢worn

Other 1969 pennies

1969
Philadelphia · 1.1 billion made
4¢worn
1969-D
Denver · 4 billion made
4¢worn
1969-S Proof
San Francisco · Proof · 2,934,631 made
Proof

1969 penny values · Every Lincoln Memorial Cent · Penny value chart