Lincoln cents, which have been in minted since 1909, are not only the United States’ longest-running coin series, but they are also one of the world’s most popular coins to collect.
Millions of coin collectors clamor to assemble complete date-and-mintmark sets of Lincoln cents, and many will pay thousands of dollars just to own an entire run of this beloved one cent series.
Lincoln pennies have been popular as collector coins since the 1930s, when the first coin boards, coin albums, and coin folders were published to display Lincoln cent collectors.
Because this coin is so widely collected, it goes without saying that demand for the scarcer dates is extremely high. This also translates to high values for many of the rare and semi-key Lincoln cents.
Today, many Lincoln cents are worth more than $25 each, and some are even worth hundreds of dollars!
That hasn’t always been the case, though.
Following are the values of rare pennies and scarce pennies (otherwise known as semi-key Lincoln cents) over the course of the last 50 years.
As you will see, many Lincoln cents have dramatically increased in value of the last several decades. Many values have outpaced inflation! However, some have actually decreased in value.
These values are culled from the 1965, 1985, and 2005 editions of A Guide Book of United States Coins, by R.S. Yeoman. Unless otherwise posted, all coin prices below are for coins grading “Good.”
1909 VDB $.75 (1965) $2.25 (1985) $4 (2005)
1909 S VDB $125 (1965) $250 (1985) $460 (2005)
1909 S $27.50 (1965) $45 (1985) $60 (2005)
1910 S $3.50 (1965) $8 (1985) $7.50 (2005)
1911 D $1.35 (1965) $3.50 (1985) $5 (2005)
1911 S $9.50 (1965) $11 (1985) $17 (2005)
1912 D $1.50 (1965) $4 (1985) $6 (2005)
1912 S $5.50 (1965) $10 (1985) $12 (2005)
1913 D $1.10 (1965) $2 (1985) $2 (2005)
1913 S $3.50 (1965) $8 (1985) $7 (2005)
1914 D $42.50 (1965) $80 (1985) $120 (2005)
1914 S $5 (1965) $9 (1985) $10 (2005)
1915 S $4.50 (1965) $9 (1985) $10 (2005)
1916 S $.60 (1965) $.75 (1985) $1 (2005)
1922 D $3.40 (1965) $4.75 (1985) $8 (2005)
1922 Plain $25 (1965) $200 (1985) $400 (2005)
1924 D $15 (1965) $10 (1985) $12 (2005)
1926 S $3 (1965) $3 (1985) $2.25 (2005)
1931 D $3.50 (1965) $2.25 (1985) $2.75 (2005)
1931 S $27.50 (1965) $31 (1985) $50 (2005)
1955 Doubled Die Obv (uncirculated) $250 (1965) $1,250 (1985) $2,400 (2005)
This guide is for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered professional advice on what coins to invest in. The coin market is highly volatile, and gains or losses can come quickly and without warning.
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 CDN Publishing (a trusted source for the price of U.S. rare coins), 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 also authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins — and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below!
