How to Identify Rare Pennies: Dates, Mint Marks and Errors
Identify rare pennies by date, mint mark, variety, error type, metal, condition, cleaning, and authenticity risks before assuming collector value.
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- Type: Flying Eagle, Indian Head, Lincoln wheat, memorial, proof, error, token, or foreign cent.
- Date and mint mark, including possible altered mint marks or doubled lettering.
- Grade, red/brown color, scratches, cleaning, corrosion, rim damage, and certification label.
What similar items actually sold for
To help ground this guide in real market activity, here are recent example auction comps from Appraisily’s internal database. These matched sales are market context only, not an object estimate or identification, and they do not guarantee a price for your specific lincoln cent.
Shown USD range: USD 40-USD 11,000. Median of these 4 USD examples: USD 680.
| Comparable | What sold | Auction house | Date | Lot | Source-reported amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
1927-S LINCOLN CENT BU | Silver City Auctions | 2025-11-06 | 170 | USD 40 |
 |
1914-D Lincoln Cent. MS-65 RD (PCGS). OGH. | Stack's Bowers Galleries | 2025-11-11 | 3009 | USD 11,000 |
 |
1926-S LINCOLN CENT CH AU | Silver City Auctions | 2025-11-06 | 169 | USD 60 |
 |
1909 Lincoln Cent. Proof-65+ RD (NGC). CAC. | Stack's Bowers Galleries | 2025-11-14 | 8047 | USD 1,300 |
How these auction records were verified
Each row retains its exact source URL, lot identity, retrieval time, access result, and immutable record hash. Live source access was blocked; the exact record matched Appraisily's immutable pipeline provenance. Inspect the public comparable provenance record.
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