1974 Lincoln Memorial Cent (Bronze-plated steel pattern)
Variety of the 1974 Lincoln Memorial Cent struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 1,570,000 made
- Mintage
- 1,570,000
- 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 1974 Lincoln Memorial Cent (Bronze-plated steel pattern) worth?
Value depends entirely on whether the coin is genuine and on its condition. Have any candidate authenticated before you buy or sell.
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1974 Lincoln Memorial Cent (Bronze-plated steel pattern) rare?
- Yes. It's a variety or error, not a regular issue. Only about 1,570,000 are thought to exist.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1974 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).
- How many 1974 Lincoln Memorial Cent (Bronze-plated steel pattern) coins were made?
- 1,570,000.
What to check on your 1974
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Check the date and mint mark under magnification for tooling or added letters. Scarce dates are the ones forgers alter.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1974-S Lincoln Memorial Cent Proof (2,612,568 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.
Low-mintage dates attract altered and counterfeit coins. Check that the date have not been tooled or added, or buy one already certified by PCGS or NGC.
The story of the 1974
Aluminum trials, West Point and the zinc switch (1974 to 1982)
Rising copper costs led the Mint to strike about 1.5 million aluminum cents dated 1974 as a test. Congress did not approve them. Nearly all were melted, though a few left the Mint and are not legal to own. Meanwhile, demand kept growing. The West Point facility struck billions of cents in these years with no mint mark, making them indistinguishable from Philadelphia coins.
Proofs struck at San Francisco show Filled S and Clear S varieties in 1979 and 1981. The clear S is the scarcer. In 1982 the Mint changed to copper-plated zinc, lowering the weight from 3.11 grams to 2.5 grams. That year has seven major varieties combining metal (bronze or zinc), date size (large or small) and mint (Philadelphia or Denver). A scale is the easiest way to tell bronze from zinc for 1982.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1974
With copper prices rising, the Mint struck experimental aluminum cents dated 1974. Nearly all were destroyed and they were never issued.
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 | 1974 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,570,000 |
| 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 1974 Lincoln Memorial Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 Lincoln Memorial Cent | 4,103,183,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1974 Aluminum Cent (Pattern) | about 1,570,000 known | Variety | – |
| 1974 Lincoln Memorial Cent (Bronze-plated steel pattern) | about 1,570,000 known | Variety | – |
| 1974-D Lincoln Memorial Cent | 4,235,098,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1974-D Aluminum Cent (Pattern) | about 10 known | Variety | – |
| 1974-S Lincoln Memorial Cent | 409,426,660 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1974-S Lincoln Memorial Cent Proof | 2,612,568 | 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.