All 1963 pennies are worth more than face value — so don’t spend them. Keep ’em!
So, you’re probably wondering how much your 1963 penny is worth. Am I right?
Well, read on to find out how much your 1963 Lincoln cent is worth. Plus a list of rare and valuable 1963 penny errors to look for!
How Much Is A 1963 Penny Worth Today?
While it’s true any 1963 penny that you find in your spare change has a value of more than one cent… how much more can vary widely, depending on:
- The coin’s mintmark
- The condition of the coin
- The current demand for that coin
So, here’s a rundown of all 1963 penny values…
1963 No Mintmark Penny Value
The 1963 penny with no mintmark had a very high mintage of 754,110,000 — that’s over three-quarters of a billion!
Still, these coins are rather difficult to find in circulation today. One reason this coin that was once so commonly encountered has become scarce in pocket change is because people are hoarding them for their valuable copper content.
How much they’re worth:
- A typical 1963 no mintmark penny is worth about 2 cents for its copper metal value. While that’s not a whole lot more than its face value of 1 cent, double the declared legal-tender value isn’t too shabby!
- Uncirculated versions of the no mintmark 1963 penny are worth even more — around 10 to 30 cents for a coin that has not been used as money.
- The most valuable 1963 penny with no mintmark was graded MS67 by Professional Coin Grading Service. It sold for $6,613 in a 2012 auction.
1963-D Penny Value
The 1963-D penny is more than twice as common as its Philadelphia Mint counterpart, with 1,774,020,400 pieces struck at the Denver Mint. These 1963 pennies have a “D” mintmark.
How much they’re worth:
- Like the 1963 Philly penny, the 1963-D Lincoln cent is worth more than its face value (due to its copper content), and trades for about 2 cents — twice its face value.
- What are uncirculated 1963 pennies worth? A typical 1963-D penny that has never been used as money is worth about 10 to 30 cents.
- Still… there are some 1963-D pennies that are worth much, much more! The record for the most valuable 1963-D penny goes to a specimen graded MS67 by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation and that sold for $2,820 in a 2013 sale.
1963 Proof Penny Value
What is a 1963 proof penny?
It’s a type of coin that was struck in limited quantities for collectors by specially prepared dies and made with highly polished blanks.
Proofs were never intended for release in circulation, and they were sold at a special price to coin collectors during the year of their issue.
The 1963 proof pennies were struck at the Philadelphia Mint to the tune of 3,075,645 pieces.
How much they’re worth:
- Most 1963 proof pennies are worth around 75 cents to $2.50 each. (Those with especially perfect surfaces sell for exponentially more.)
- The all-time record price for a 1963 proof penny was claimed by a specimen graded by PR70DCAM by Professional Coin Grading Service and sold in a 2004 sale for a whopping $40,250!
IMPORTANT: What Is The Grade Of Your 1963 Penny?
To determine the true value of your 1963 Lincoln cent, you first need to know what condition (or grade) your coin is in.
Grab a coin magnifier and a copy of the U.S. Coin Grading Standards book. Then, watch this video to see how to grade coins yourself at home:
The best coin grading apps to use when grading coins yourself.
Rare 1963 Penny Errors And Their Values
There are many highly collectible U.S. mint error coins and varieties you should be looking for on your 1963 Lincoln Memorial pennies!
Some of the most widely collected 1963 error pennies are:
- 1963 doubled die pennies
- 1963 repunched mintmark pennies
- 1963 BIE pennies
- 1963 off-center pennies
Let’s look at each of these errors and varieties below with some information about their value, too…
1963 Doubled Die Penny Error
One of the penny errors that people most commonly search for is also one of the rarest. It’s a variety known as a doubled die. (Many newbie collectors would mistakenly call these coins a 1963 double die penny.)
A doubled die means the die that struck the variety was doubled by the hub — which then transferred an image onto the die, which was then impressed onto blank coins.
A lot of people who are looking for 1963 doubled die Lincoln pennies are probably doing so based on the perception that they’re worth a lot of money. And, as many collectors know, some of the most popular doubled die pennies are actually worth huge sums of money!
The reason some doubled dies are worth so much is because they’re both relatively rare and drastic in appearance — the doubling is pretty intense and can be seen with the naked eye.
However, if you’ve got to strain to find doubling on a coin with a 5X or 10X magnifier, chances are it’s not going to grab the attention of many collectors — and, even if rare, will not necessarily draw huge dollars. This seems to be the case with most of the known 1963 doubled die pennies.
Are they highly collectible? Yes, but they aren’t necessarily as rare or sought-after as some of the more valuable doubled die pennies out there.
Most 1963 doubled die pennies would usually trade for around $5 to $20 — depending on the specific type of doubled die and the coin’s condition.
1963 Repunched Mintmark Penny Error
On some 1963-D pennies, it’s possible to find signs of the mintmark being doubled, placed sideways, or unique with other oddities about it.
Why did weird things happen with the 1963-D mintmark?
Because in 1963 the U.S. Mint still individually hand-punched mintmarks onto working dies — so there was plenty of opportunity for human error to play a factor with the placement and positioning of the mintmarks.
There are many varieties known involving the mintmark on 1963-D pennies! Most of these repunched mintmark pennies are worth $3 to $5 each.
1963 BIE Penny Error
There’s a peculiar die variety known on many Lincoln pennies concerning the word “LIBERTY” on the obverse (head’s side) of the coin.
A vertical die break is often seen between the letters “B” and “E” of LIBERTY — giving the perceived appearance of a capital letter “I.”
BIE Lincoln penny errors are fairly common — but they’re extremely collectible. Some folks are even trying to find a BIE penny from each year that the Lincoln cent has been minted!
1963 BIE pennies are generally worth around $5.
1963 Off-Center Penny Error
A common but popular error is the so-called off-center penny.
These coins were mis-struck due to either poor alignment of the dies or the coin being off center on the press upon its strike.
How much is this type of error penny worth?
Normally, a 1963 penny that is less than 2% or 3% off center doesn’t really trigger any extra premium.
However, a 1963 penny that is 5% to 10% off center is usually worth $3 to $10 — with increasing values for coins that are further off center, up to about 50% off center.
The most valuable kind of 1963 off-center penny is about 50% off center and still shows a complete date. Such pennies are worth around $50 to $100.
READ NEXT: The Ultimate U.S. Error Coins List
I’m the Coin Editor here at TheFunTimesGuide. My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. I primarily collect and study U.S. coins produced during the 20th century. I’m a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) and have won multiple awards from the NLG for my work as a coin journalist. I’m also the editor at the Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine), and author of Images of America: The United States Mint in Philadelphia (a book that explores the colorful history of the Philadelphia Mint). I’ve contributed hundreds of articles for various coin publications including COINage, The Numismatist, Numismatic News, Coin Dealer Newsletter, Coin Values, and CoinWeek. I’ve authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins (many of them with over 50K shares), and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below!
