1972 Doubled Die Obverse Penny Value

1972 Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln Cent

Key date

A well-known doubled-die variety of the Memorial era.

1972 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)

1972 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 fakedCounterfeits and machine-doubled coins are common. 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)

$27.00 – $81.00

G-4 – VF-20

Uncirculated (MS-60)

$250

Brown

By grade

Typical value at each grade and colour. Penny Value estimate.
Grade	Brown	Red-Brown	Red
G-4Good	$27.00	—	—
VG-8Very Good	$41.00	—	—
F-12Fine	$60.00	—	—
VF-20Very Fine	$81.00	—	—
XF-40Extremely Fine	$120	—	—
AU-50About Uncirculated	$150	—	—
MS-60Mint State (Uncirculated)	$250	$260	—
MS-63Mint State (Uncirculated)	$300	$310	$670
MS-65Mint State (Uncirculated)	$500	$510	$1,100

Values as of Q4 2026 · Penny Value estimate · based on 4 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 1972 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

Strong, rounded doubling on LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and the date (no mint mark)
Flat 'machine doubling' is common on 1972 cents and worthless; FS-101 is the strong, valuable die

What to check

What a genuine 1972 Doubled Die Obverse shows:

Doubled die obverse (1972): YesOn this 1972 cent, is there strong, rounded, separated doubling (not flat shelf-like machine doubling) on LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and the date?

To check yours, photograph

Date close-up
Lettering close-up

Specs

Series: Lincoln Memorial Cent
Year: 1972
Mint: Philadelphia (no mint mark)
Mint mark: Below the date, on the front
Metal: Brass (95% copper, 5% zinc)
Weight: 3.11 g
Mintage: Included in the 2,933,255,000 1972 total; not counted separately.
Source: Wikipedia
Variety number: FS-101
Designer: Victor David Brenner (obverse), Frank Gasparro (reverse)

Other varieties of this date

1972
Philadelphia · Included in the 2,933,255,000 1972 total; not counted separately.
4¢worn

Other 1972 pennies

1972-D
Denver · 2.7 billion made
4¢worn
1972-S
San Francisco · 376.9 million made
4¢worn
1972-S Proof
San Francisco · Proof · 3,260,996 made
Proof

1972 penny values · Every Lincoln Memorial Cent · Penny value chart