2003 Lincoln Memorial Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 3,300,000,000 made
- Mintage
- 3,300,000,000
- 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 2003 Lincoln Memorial Cent worth?
A worn 2003 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
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 2003 Lincoln Memorial Cent rare?
- Not by date: 3.3 billion were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Where is the mint mark on a 2003 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 2003 are scarcer?
- The 2008 at 2,569,600,000, the 2002 at 3,260,800,000. So the 2003 is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 2003 Lincoln Memorial Cent coins were made?
- 3,300,000,000.
What to check on your 2003
- 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 2003-S Lincoln Memorial Cent Proof (3,298,439 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 3.3 billion made, the 2003 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 2003
Philadelphia made 3,300,000,000 in 2003, about the same as the year before. In 2004 the figure was 3.4 billion.
2003-D came to 3.5 billion, so neither mint's 2003 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 2003 is on the scarcer side of the middle. Within the 2000s it's 4th smallest of 18, between the 2002 (3.3 billion) and the 2004 (3.4 billion).
Rising metal costs and the last Memorial cents (2001 to 2008)
Cent production fell from the 2000 peak, settling between about 2.5 and 4.3 billion a year at each mint from 2002. By 2006 rising zinc and copper prices meant the cent cost more than face value to make. In December 2006 the Mint issued rules restricting the melting and export of cents and nickels, since older bronze cents contained more than a cent of metal.
Beginning in 2005, the Mint's uncirculated sets included cents with a satin finish, giving these years a distinct collector version. Proof cents from San Francisco show deep mirror fields with frosted designs. The 2008 marked the last year of the Memorial reverse before the 2009 Bicentennial designs. Circulated coins from this period often show plating wear or zinc rot, while many collectors still save rolls of uncirculated cents.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 2003
The last Jefferson nickels with the original 1938 design were struck before the Westward Journey series.
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 | 2003 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 3,300,000,000 |
| 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 2003 Lincoln Memorial Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Lincoln Memorial Cent | 3,300,000,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2003-D Lincoln Memorial Cent | 3,548,000,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2003-S Lincoln Memorial Cent Proof | 3,298,439 | 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.