1975 Penny Value: Discover the Worth of This Lincoln Cent
Published on February 06, 2025
How surprised would you look to find out that a mere penny can be worth as high as $10,000? Yes, you read that right, $10,000 for a mere penny. We are talking about the 1975 Penny Value or the value of the Lincoln Cent.
While you mind would be bombarded with question by now, some of them would be, how is the value determined, what is the 1975 Penny history, and how much is a 1975 penny worth today?
Rest Assured, this article will answer everyone of them and give you the complete deduction of its values and its impacting factors.
History and Design
How surprised would you look to find out that a mere penny can be worth as high as $10,000? Yes, you read that right, $10,000 for a mere penny. We are talking about the 1975 Penny Value or the value of the Lincoln Cent.
While you mind would be bombarded with question by now, some of them would be, how is the value determined, what is the 1975 Penny history, and how much is a 1975 penny worth today?
Rest Assured, this article will answer everyone of them and give you the complete deduction of its values and its impacting factors.
History and Design
To make things easier, here is an historical timeline of the Lincoln Penny from its introduction to the present day. Furthermore, the design and specification table is also included that eases the process of dissecting the coin details.
Timeline
1909: The Lincoln Cent was first struck to commemorate Abraham Lincoln’s 100th birthday.
1959: The coin’s reverse design is updated to feature the Lincoln Memorial, marking Lincoln’s 150th birth anniversary (Sesquicentennial).
1974: The U.S. Mint experiments with aluminum cents, producing around 1.6 million pieces. Congress later rejects the idea, and most coins are destroyed. Pennies are minted at the West Point Mint for the first time, though they bear no mint mark and are assumed to be from Philadelphia.
1975: Aluminum cents are struck again, but only 66 coins are known to exist today. The West Point Mint continues minting pennies without a mint mark.
1982: The U.S. Mint transitions to a new penny composition: 97.5% zinc with a 2.5% copper coating to maintain the coin’s color and reduce costs.
2008: The Lincoln Memorial reverse design is retired.
2009: Four new reverse designs are introduced to celebrate Lincoln’s 200th birth anniversary (Bicentennial).
2019: The "W" mint mark is added to certain coins to honor the penny's 110th anniversary.
Present Day: Pennies are still produced, despite costing nearly 3 cents per coin to mint, due to their historical and cultural significance as the first U.S. presidential coin. The U.S. Mint has no plans to discontinue the penny.
Design and Specifications of the 1975 Penny
Obverse
The effigy of Abraham Lincoln was designed by Victor David Brenner (VDB). Inscriptions include “IN GOD WE TRUST. LIBERTY. 1975.” The mint mark and date are inscribed in front of his chest.
Reverse
It depicts the Lincoln Memorial building in the center with the Lincoln statue. Inscriptions include “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. E PLURIBUS UNUM. ONE CENT. FG,” representing the country, the US Motto, denomination, and designer initials: Frank Gasparro.
Diameter
19.05 mm
Composition
95% copper with 5% zinc and/or tin.
Weight
3.11g
Mint Marks and their Impact on 1975 Penny Value
1) 1975 no mint mark Penny
The no mint mark pennies are rather confusing since you cannot differentiate them between Philadelphia and West Point. The US Mint minted a total of 5,451,476,142 pennies from which the Philadelphia minted amounted to 3,874,182,000 and the West Point mint pennies were 1,577,294,142 in number.
From these huge numbers, very few were graded high, with some MS68 grade sold for $9,000 to $10,500.
2) 1975 D Lincoln Penny
The “D” mintmark represents the Denver facility of the US Mint. The total number of 1975 D Pennies struck at Denver were 4,505,275,300. Alike others, its value is also dependent on the grade.
Records from the past, state the following:
On March 21, 2014, a MS67+ 1975 D Lincoln Penny was sold at $4,113.
The same grade penny in July 2023 sold at $950.
In the same year, PCGS graded a Penny with MS68 with a valuation of $10,000.
3) 1975 S Proof Lincoln Penny
Struck in the San Francisco facility of the US Mint comes with the S mintmark. The proof coins are generally minted to favor the collectors thus, they are limited in number. The San Francisco mint struck a total of 2,845,450 pennies.
Finding high grade proof pennies is daunting, hence, rarity plays a significant role in determining the 1975 S Proof Lincoln penny value. An high PR69 graded penny can fetch up to $1,150, while the highest PR70 graded can go as high as $15,000 in July 2023.
Factors that Affect the Value of the 1975 Penny
Surely, you might have deciphered by now that the mint mark plays an important role in influencing the 1975 penny value. Here are some other factors that affect the value of the 1975 penny.
1) Condition and Grading
The penny condition and grade are significantly important determining the 1975 penny value. The conditions can range from good to Mint state and the grades range from 1-70 based on the grading scale.
#
Grade
1
Basal State-1
2
Fair
3
Very Fair
4, 5, 6
Good
7, 8, 10
Very Good
12, 15
Fine
20, 30
Very Fine
40
Extremely Fine
50
About Uncirculated
60
Mint State
65
Mint State
70
Mint State
2) Rarity and Errors
Errors are manufacturing defects occurred on the pennies during the minting process. These errors are rare and can fetch values of several hundreds of dollars of a high graded penny. The 1975 Penny have total of 12 errors with two notable ones, each with a different price range and rarity.
3) Mintmark
As discussed, the mint marks also significantly impact the value of the 1975 penny. These pennies were struck in the mint: Philadelphia, West Point, Denver, and San Franscisco.
Notable Errors in the 1975 Penny!
1) Double Die Errors
As the moniker, the Double die errors are occured when the planchet is struck two times but the coin slips between the strikes leading to a slightly unaligned design. If the double die is on the obverse, its called a Double Die Obverse (DDO), whereas it is Double Die Reverse (DDR) if the error is on the reverse.
Even with this error, the price range of the 1975 penny is from $15 to $70 only if the coin is First Strike (FS).
2) Broadstruck Off-Center Strikes
Usually, a coin is struck more than once to make sure all the details are imprinted clearly. However, after the first strike, if the coin slips, the same design gets struck offcenter leading to a broadstruck offcenter second design with the second strike.
Based on the grades, the 1975 penny value is determined. An MS62 graded penny with 80% off-center was valued at $60 which can go as high as $168.
3) Other Unique Errors to Watch out for
The 1975 Lincoln penny has several other errors that have different price ranges. Here is an summarizing table that states the errors with their price ranges.
Error
Price Range
Struck through capped die cap: A weak imprint on the coin due to blockage caused by previous coin.
An MS-62 graded coin was valued at $53.
Obverse Die Cap: A saucer-like dent caused on a side that curves out the other side.
An MS65 RB coin was valued at a stunning value of $360.
Major Die Break: Old Die with cracks and gashes, transfers them on the coin leading to a piece of metal to break.
An MS64 RB coin was valued at a stunning value of $54.
Triple Struck: A new level of off-center strike with multiple strikes leads to more severe and big die break.
This error pennies can be valued from $30 to $188.
How much is a 1975 Penny Worth Today?
The current market value of the 1975 Penny is influenced by the above discussed factors. Based on the condition, rarity, grade, and mintmark, the 1975 penny value can range from $3 to as high as $15,000.
Bottom Line
Call it the 1975 Penny or the Lincoln Cent, it surely is valuable and will give you an extra cash. The 1975 penny value in the contemporary market will range from $3 to as high as $15,000. The factors that influence the price are condition, mintmark, errors, and the mintage. Collectively, you can determine the value of the 1975 penny.
Alike the Lincoln Cent, the US Mint has also minted various remarkable coins which are still sold extensively. Explore BOLD’s wide collection of such rare American coins to get the best deals for such coins!
