1960 Small Date Lincoln Cent

What it is

The Mint changed the size of the date on 1960 cents early in the year. The original Small Date dies were used briefly, so Small Date cents are much scarcer than Large Date ones, especially from Philadelphia.

How to identify it

1. On the Small Date, the top of the 1 lines up with the top of the 9.
2. The 6 looks thicker on the Small Date, with a much shorter stem above its loop.
3. On the Large Date the top of the 1 sits noticeably lower than the top of the 9.

A 5x to 10x loupe and good, angled light make the details much easier to see. For anything that looks genuine, a digital scale and a certified comparison coin help.

What gets mistaken for it

Learn the shape of the 6 with a known example. Denver also produced a famous 1960-D/D small over large date variety.

The regular 1960 coin

The variety appears on the 1960 Lincoln Memorial Cent, which had a total mintage of 586,405,000. That figure counts the whole issue, so it does not tell you how many coins show the variety.

How two date sizes came about in 1960

The first 1960 cents were struck from dies with the small numerals that had been prepared for the start of the year. Early in 1960 the Mint switched to a new hub with larger numerals. Large Date dies replaced the Small Date ones. The Mint did not publish a detailed reason for the change.

Denver used Small Date dies more widely than Philadelphia, so the 1960-D Small Date is the more available of the two. At Philadelphia the Small Date dies were retired quickly and the Large Date accounts for the great majority of that mint's 1960 cents.

The 1960 Small Date craze

News of the scarce Small Date spread quickly in 1960. Collectors and speculators bought up bags and rolls of Philadelphia Small Date cents and traded them at a premium. The episode is often counted among the events that fueled the coin boom of the early 1960s.

Many Uncirculated rolls were saved during that rush, which is why Uncirculated Small Dates are easier to find than circulated ones.

How to tell the two date sizes apart

A 5x loupe and an overhead light are enough. Besides the alignment of the 1 and 9, look at the 6: on the Small Date it looks thicker and the stem above its loop is much shorter than on the Large Date. Then compare the whole date with a known example, since the heights of the digits differ slightly between the two hubs.

The easiest method is to keep one known Large Date 1960 cent as a reference. Large Dates make up the vast majority of 1960 cents, so almost any 1960 cent will do. Place the two side by side and the difference becomes obvious, especially in the height of the 9 compared with the 1.

Proofs and doubled date varieties

1960 proof cents also come in both date sizes and the Small Date proof is the scarcer type. Proof dies of that year also produced doubled die varieties in which one date size shows under the other. These proofs have mirror fields and were sold in proof sets, so check the surface before comparing with business strike images.

The 1960-D/D small over large date variety combines a doubled date with a repunched D mint mark. It needs a 10x loupe to see clearly and is attributed separately from the ordinary 1960-D Small Date.

Grades and colors

Because Small Date rolls were hoarded in 1960, Uncirculated Philadelphia Small Dates exist in reasonable numbers and collectors expect full red color and few spots. Many saved rolls were stored poorly, leaving coins with carbon spots or uneven toning. Bright red coins with a clean cheek and fields are the ones collectors want.

Attribution

The major grading services treat Small Date and Large Date as separate coins, so the date size appears on the label. Check that a holder says Small Date before buying a coin described that way, as a Large Date coin in a holder can be mislabeled by a seller but not by the grading service.

Other date size varieties in the Lincoln series

Date size changes appear again in the Lincoln cent series. The 1970-S comes in Small Date and Large Date versions and in 1982 the date was made smaller again. Collectors who enjoy the 1960 often go on to these later date size varieties.

The 1960 remains the most dramatic of them, because the Philadelphia Small Date is so much scarcer than the Large Date and because the 1960 rush gave the variety a place in the history of the hobby.

Frequently asked questions