Grading the Lincoln Cent

The Lincoln cent has been made since 1909 and is one of the most collected U.S. coins. To grade one, look first at Lincoln's cheek and jaw and the hair by his ear for wear, then (on older 'wheat' cents) check how many lines show in the wheat stalks. Copper spots and cleaning are common problems. Be very careful with famous rare dates like the 1909-S VDB and the 1943 copper cent, which are frequently faked.

At a glance

Years	1909-present
Designer	Victor David Brenner (obverse, all subtypes; 'V.D.B.' initials, moved to the obverse shoulder truncation in 1918). Frank Gasparro designed the 1959 Memorial reverse. The 2010 Union Shield reverse was designed by Lyndall Bass and sculpted by Joseph Menna.
Denomination	One cent
Specifications	Diameter 19 mm. Weight 3.11 g for the bronze cent (1909-1982); reduced to 2.5 g with the 1982 switch to copper-plated zinc. 1982 exists in both bronze and zinc compositions.

Composition over time

Period	Composition
1909-1942	Bronze: 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc
1943	Zinc-coated steel (wartime copper conservation; magnetic)
1944-1946	'Shell-case' brass: 95% copper, 5% zinc (tin omitted)
1947-1962	Bronze: 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc
1962-1982	Brass: 95% copper, 5% zinc (tin removed)
1982-present	Copper-plated zinc: ~99.2% zinc core / 0.8% copper, with pure copper plating (~2.5% copper overall)

Major subtypes

Subtype	Years
Lincoln Wheat (Wheat Ears reverse)	1909-1958
Lincoln Memorial	1959-2008
Lincoln Bicentennial (four reverses)	2009
Lincoln Union Shield	2010-present

Where wear shows first

Obverse: Lincoln's cheek and jaw (jawline is where the first trace of circulation rub appears, e.g., the AU-58/MS-60 distinction)
Obverse: hair detail above and around the ear
Wheat reverse: the parallel lines of the wheat stalks (a coin showing only a few wheat lines is typically in the Very Good range)

Common weak-strike areas

1926-S is notorious for weak obverse strikes (soft hair, beard, ear; weak LIBERTY and mintmark)
General reverse weakness in lettering (e.g., parts of ONE / AMERICA) on softly struck dies
1922 'Weak D' / 'No D' results from worn/filled Denver dies (a die/strike issue, not wear)

Common problems

Carbon spots / 'flyspecks' (small black corrosion spots), common on copper due to its reactivity
Toning and color change (mint red to brown) as copper oxidizes; humidity and salt air accelerate spotting
Verdigris and improper cleaning; dipping copper nearly always ruins it; corrosion already present cannot be reversed
Environmental damage and PVC residue

Counterfeit & alteration risks

1909-S VDB: described as among the most counterfeited/altered collectible coins; commonly faked by adding an 'S' mintmark to a Philadelphia coin (genuine 'S' has a diagnostic shape) or altering dates
1914-D: frequently created by altering a genuine 1944-D (date spacing is wrong on fakes)
1943 bronze (copper) cent: faked by copper-plating a 1943 steel cent or altering a 1948 date; genuine bronze is non-magnetic (~3.11 g) while plated-steel fakes are magnetic (~2.7 g)
1955 Doubled Die Obverse, 1969-S DDO, 1972 DDO: counterfeited (often via transfer dies); genuine pieces have specific die diagnostics
Also commonly altered/faked: 1922 'No D', 1931-S

For the advanced grader

Grade the obverse on jaw/cheek rub and hair definition; the AU-58/MS-60 line often turns on the faintest friction on Lincoln's jawline. On wheat reverses, wheat-line completeness tracks the circulated grade. Evaluate strike separately (1926-S weakness; 1922 die-fill 'No D'). Copper is reactive: judge originality of color and watch for spots, verdigris, and past cleaning, which copper shows readily and which conservation cannot reverse once corrosion has set in. For key dates, authenticate before grading using mintmark shape, date spacing, weight, and magnetism (1943 bronze).

Photographic examples

Click any image to enlarge and zoom. Where shown, obverse, reverse, and edge views are of the same coin and year.

Same coin: 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat cent

Sources: United States Mint · Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) · Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) · Coin World · American Numismatic Association (ANA)

Evidence pages