1999 Lincoln Memorial Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 5,237,600,000 made
- Mintage
- 5,237,600,000
- Metal
- 97.5% zinc core, 2.5% copper plating
- Weight
- 2.5 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 1999 Lincoln Memorial Cent worth?
Worn examples are worth face value and can be spent. Keep it only if it looks uncirculated or shows a known variety. The exception is the 1999 Wide AM Lincoln Cent, which collectors pay a large premium for.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A known variety for the date: 1999 Wide AM Lincoln Cent
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Check your coin for the 1999 Wide AM Lincoln Cent. It is a known reverse design variety for this date and mint.
Quick answers
- Is the 1999 Lincoln Memorial Cent rare?
- No. 5.2 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 1999 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 1999 are scarcer?
- The 2002 at 3,260,800,000, the 2003 at 3,300,000,000, the 2004 at 3,379,600,000, plus 3 more. So the 1999 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1999 Lincoln Memorial Cent coins were made?
- 5,237,600,000.
What to check on your 1999
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Look for the 1999 Wide AM Lincoln Cent.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1999-S Lincoln Memorial Cent Proof (3,347,966 made) is the one to compare with.
- Bubbles, peeling or gray patches on a zinc cent are corrosion of the copper plating, not a minting error. They don't add value.
- 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 5.2 billion made, the 1999 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 1999
At 5,237,600,000, the 1999 run at Philadelphia was close to the 1998 figure. The next year it made 5.5 billion (2000).
1999-D came to 6.4 billion, so neither mint's 1999 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 more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1965 (301,470,000). Within the 1990s it's 10th smallest of 20, between the 1998-D (5.2 billion) and the 1993 (5.7 billion).
Close AM, Wide AM and the 1995 doubled die (1993 to 2000)
From 1993 circulating cents were made with the Close AM reverse while proofs used the Wide AM style. A few business strike cents from 1998, 1999 and 2000 were struck with the Wide AM proof reverse. These are scarce varieties worth checking with a magnifier. The 1999 Wide AM is the rarest of the three.
The 1995 doubled die obverse, with clear doubling on LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST, was found in large numbers in circulation and is the best known variety of this period. Output stayed huge. Denver struck more than 8.7 billion coins in 2000, the highest annual figure in that mint's history. Uncirculated red coins are abundant, but plating flaws and spots keep the very top grades scarce.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1999
The 50 State Quarters program began, with five new reverse designs each year in the order the states joined the Union.
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 | 1999 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 5,237,600,000 |
| Face value | 1¢ |
| Composition | 97.5% zinc core, 2.5% copper plating |
| Weight | 2.5 grams |
| Diameter | 19.05 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Victor David Brenner (obverse); Frank Gasparro (reverse) |
Other 1999 Lincoln Memorial Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 Lincoln Memorial Cent | 5,237,600,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1999-D Lincoln Memorial Cent | 6,360,065,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1999-S Lincoln Memorial Cent Proof | 3,347,966 | 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.