The US Mint has struck a “P” on Lincoln cents for the first time. When looking for Philadelphia's new cents, remember that many mistake coins are still in circulation. The Philadelphia Mint promotes these circulating mistake coins by highlighting the cent for its 225th anniversary. I'll show you a few faults that are still around, but I can't show them all.
Our first coin is the 1960-D Small over Large Date with a beautiful Repunched Mintmark. It can sell for $50 or more in circulated grades and hundreds of dollars in uncirculated grades. According to the Cherrypickers Guide (CPG), AU to top MS-65 components cost $100 to $600.
Our second target is the 1969-S Doubled Die Obverse cent. One of them was unearthed in 2006 near my Michigan home and sold for $126,500 at Heritage Auctions in 2007. Although just 35 coins are known, they are occasionally seen in circulation.
The 1970-S Doubled Die cent follows. This rare gem sells for three figures even in circulated grades and CPG lists MS-65 at $18,000. In 1971, Doubled Die obverses occasionally circulate. The last two I sold were uncirculated and sold for $1,200 and $1,500, but circulated examples can bring three figures.
The 1982 Doubled Die Reverse cent is surprisingly new. Though less impressive than the 1983 Doubled Die Reverse, its rarity drives up its price to thousands of dollars.
Inspect all 1983 cents for weight. If you locate one that weights 3.1 grams, it was likely struck on a planchet for early 1982 before the Mint switched to 2.5-gram copper-plated zinc cents. Both mints had them on cents, with one from Philadelphia bringing over $23,000 in a Heritage sale. Copper planchets appear on 1989-D and 1990-D pennies.
The 1984 Doubled Ear cent, discovered in its year of issue, and the 1983 Doubled Die Reverse are still in circulation. Another intriguing coin is the 1988 Doubled Ear cent. This unusual one sells easily if found.
The 1992 “P” and “D” cents with the letters AM of AMERICA practically touching at the base are worth looking for. Both are rare and retail for thousands of dollars.
See 1999 pennies with the AM of AMERICA spaced wide apart. Uncirculated coins cost hundreds of dollars, while circulating ones cost $50–75. The identical fault appears on 1998 and 2000 coins, however they are valued less. Finally, consider recent cents. The cool 2015 Doubled Die Obverse can make a few bucks. Numismatic News often sells them for $100.
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