1959-D Lincoln Memorial Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Denver Mint · 1,279,760,000 made
- Mintage
- 1,279,760,000
- Metal
- 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc
- Weight
- 3.11 g
- Diameter
- 19.05 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1959-D Lincoln Memorial Cent worth?
A worn 1959-D is a spender: face value. A bright uncirculated one, or one with a known error, is worth setting aside.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- Full red copper color (labeled RD) rather than brown
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1959-D Lincoln Memorial Cent rare?
- Not by date: 1.3 billion were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1959 Lincoln Memorial Cent?
- On the obverse, below the date. Philadelphia cents have no mint mark (except the 2017-P, which is a Lincoln Shield cent). On this coin the mark is D, for Denver.
- Which Denver dates near 1959 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no Denver issue had a smaller mintage than the 1959-D.
- How many 1959-D Lincoln Memorial Cent coins were made?
- 1,279,760,000.
What to check on your 1959-D
- Make sure the mint mark really is a D. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1959 (610 million made).
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1959 Lincoln Memorial Cent Proof (1,149,291 made) is the one to compare with.
- Judge the grade under good light. Wear first shows on Lincoln's cheekbone and hair. Doubled-die varieties from 1969-S, 1972, 1983 (reverse), 1984 and 1995 are the big money coins, so always check the lettering under magnification.
With 1,279,760,000 made, you can still find a 1959-D in rolls, old jars and inherited collections. The coins worth keeping are the uncirculated ones and any with a doubled die or other variety.
The story of the 1959-D
1959 was the first year of the Lincoln Memorial Cent. Denver struck 1,279,760,000 of them. In 1960 the figure was 1.6 billion.
It was the big producer of the year, well ahead of 1959 (610 million).
Of the 47 Lincoln Memorial Cents Denver struck between 1959 and 2008, this is the scarcest.
It also marks a change of metal: 1959 is the first year of the Lincoln Memorial Cent in 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc (bronze), which lasted until 1961.
The Memorial reverse and the coin shortage (1959 to 1964)
For the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's birth, Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse replaced the wheat ears in 1959. A tiny statue of Lincoln is visible inside the building, so the cent shows his likeness on both sides. Mintages climbed above a billion at Denver every year of this era.
The main variety is the 1960 small date and large date. The Mint changed the date punch early in the year. Philadelphia small date coins are the scarcer issue. The 1960-D also has a small date over large date variety. A nationwide coin shortage in the early 1960s, blamed on vending machines and hoarding of silver coins, led the Mint to keep striking cents dated 1964 into 1965. Proofs were struck at Philadelphia through 1964. Red uncirculated coins are plentiful.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1959
The Lincoln Memorial reverse replaced the wheat ears on the cent to mark the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's birth.
How to recognize it
The obverse keeps Victor David Brenner's portrait of Lincoln with the date and mint mark on the right. The reverse, by Frank Gasparro, shows the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., with a tiny statue of Lincoln visible between the central columns. E PLURIBUS UNUM is above the building and ONE CENT below. Look for the FG initials to the right of the steps.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Lincoln Memorial Cent (1959–2008) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1959 |
| Mint | Denver Mint |
| Mint mark | "D" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,279,760,000 |
| Face value | 1¢ |
| Composition | 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc (bronze) |
| Weight | 3.11 grams |
| Diameter | 19.05 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Victor David Brenner (obverse); Frank Gasparro (reverse) |
Other 1959 Lincoln Memorial Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 Lincoln Memorial Cent | 609,715,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1959 Lincoln Memorial Cent Proof | 1,149,291 | Proof | – |
| 1959-D Lincoln Memorial Cent | 1,279,760,000 | Circulation strike | – |
Mintage: Lincoln cent mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.