1971 Lincoln Memorial Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 1,919,490,000 made
- Mintage
- 1,919,490,000
- 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 1971 Lincoln Memorial Cent worth?
A worn 1971 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 1971 Lincoln Memorial Cent rare?
- No. 1.9 billion were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1971 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 1971 are scarcer?
- The 1966 at 811,100,000, the 1967 at 907,575,000, the 1969 at 1,136,910,000, plus 2 more. So the 1971 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1971 Lincoln Memorial Cent coins were made?
- 1,919,490,000.
What to check on your 1971
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1971-S Lincoln Memorial Cent Proof (3,220,733 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 1971 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 1971
At 1,919,490,000, the 1971 run at Philadelphia was close to the 1970 figure. The next year it made 2.9 billion (1972).
1971-S came to 525 million and 1971-D came to 2.9 billion, so neither mint's 1971 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Philadelphia struck the Lincoln Memorial Cent in 50 issues between 1959 and 2008. By mintage this one lands in the scarcer half, while the key for that mint is the 1965 (301,470,000). Within the 1970s it's 7th smallest of 25, between the 1970 (1.9 billion) and the 1972-D (2.7 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 1971
The Eisenhower dollar was introduced and the Kennedy half dollar changed to copper-nickel clad.
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 | 1971 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,919,490,000 |
| 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 1971 Lincoln Memorial Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 Lincoln Memorial Cent | 1,919,490,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1971-D Lincoln Memorial Cent | 2,911,045,600 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1971-S Lincoln Memorial Cent | 525,133,459 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1971-S Lincoln Memorial Cent Proof | 3,220,733 | Proof | – |
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.