1970 Lincoln Memorial Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 1,898,315,000 made
- Mintage
- 1,898,315,000
- Metal
- 95% copper, 5% 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 1970 Lincoln Memorial Cent worth?
A worn 1970 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 known variety for the date: 1970-S Small Date Lincoln Cent
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1970 Lincoln Memorial Cent rare?
- Not by date: 1.9 billion were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1970 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).
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1970 are scarcer?
- The 1965 at 301,470,000, the 1966 at 811,100,000, the 1967 at 907,575,000, plus 2 more. So the 1970 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1970 Lincoln Memorial Cent coins were made?
- 1,898,315,000.
What to check on your 1970
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Look for the 1970-S Small Date Lincoln Cent (it's on San Francisco coins, not this one).
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1970-S Lincoln Memorial Cent Proof (2,632,810 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 1.9 billion made, the 1970 still turns up in everyday change. Keep yours only if it looks uncirculated or shows a variety; otherwise it's worth face value.
The story of the 1970
Philadelphia made 1,898,315,000 in 1970, up from 1.1 billion in 1969. In 1971 the figure was 1.9 billion.
1970-S came to 691 million and 1970-D came to 2.9 billion, so neither mint's 1970 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Across Philadelphia's 50 Lincoln Memorial Cent issues, the hardest to find is the 1965 with 301,470,000 made. The 1970 is on the scarcer side of the middle. Within the 1970s it's 6th smallest of 25, between the 1970-S (691 million) and the 1971 (1.9 billion).
No mint marks, special sets and famous doubled dies (1965 to 1973)
The Coinage Act of 1965 left the cent's bronze composition unchanged, but the Mint dropped mint marks from all coins from 1965 to 1967 to discourage hoarding. Collectors were offered Special Mint Sets with satin finish coins instead of proof sets. Mint marks returned in 1968. San Francisco resumed striking cents with an S for the first time since 1955.
Several doubled dies come from this period. The 1969-S doubled die obverse is rare and widely counterfeited. The 1971 and 1972 have doubled die obverses. The 1972 is one of the most dramatic, with strong doubling on the date and LIBERTY. The 1970-S has a scarce small date variety, also called the high 7. Copper prices were rising by 1973, which pushed the Treasury to look for a cheaper metal.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1970
The last 40% silver Kennedy half dollars were struck. The 1970-D half was issued only in mint sets.
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 | 1970 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,898,315,000 |
| Face value | 1¢ |
| Composition | 95% copper, 5% zinc (brass) |
| Weight | 3.11 grams |
| Diameter | 19.05 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Victor David Brenner (obverse); Frank Gasparro (reverse) |
Other 1970 Lincoln Memorial Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 Lincoln Memorial Cent | 1,898,315,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1970-D Lincoln Memorial Cent | 2,891,438,900 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1970-S Lincoln Memorial Cent | 690,560,004 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1970-S Lincoln Memorial Cent Proof | 2,632,810 | Proof | – |
| 1970-S Lincoln Memorial Cent Proof (Large Date, Low 7) | – | Variety | – |
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.