1979-D Lincoln Memorial Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Denver Mint · 4,139,357,254 made
- Mintage
- 4,139,357,254
- 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 1979-D 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.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- Full red copper color (labeled RD) rather than brown
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1979-D Lincoln Memorial Cent rare?
- Not by date: 4.1 billion were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1979 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). On this coin the mark is D, for Denver.
- Which Denver dates near 1979 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no Denver issue had a smaller mintage than the 1979-D.
- How many 1979-D Lincoln Memorial Cent coins were made?
- 4,139,357,254.
What to check on your 1979-D
- Make sure the mint mark really is a D. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1979 (3.6 billion made).
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1979-S Lincoln Memorial Cent Proof (3,677,175 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.
With 4.1 billion made, the 1979-D 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 1979-D
Denver made 4,139,357,254 in 1979, about the same as the year before. In 1980 the figure was 5.1 billion.
1979 came to 3.6 billion, so neither mint's 1979 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Across Denver's 47 Lincoln Memorial Cent issues, the hardest to find is the 1959-D with 1,279,760,000 made. The 1979-D is on the scarcer side of the middle. Within the 1970s it's 20th smallest of 25, between the 1974 (4.1 billion) and the 1977-D (4.2 billion).
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 1979
The small Susan B. Anthony dollar replaced the Eisenhower dollar. It was too easily confused with the quarter and saw little use.
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 | 1979 |
| Mint | Denver Mint |
| Mint mark | "D" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 4,139,357,254 |
| 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 1979 Lincoln Memorial Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 Lincoln Memorial Cent | 3,560,940,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1979-D Lincoln Memorial Cent | 4,139,357,254 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1979-S Lincoln Memorial Cent Proof | 3,677,175 | Proof | – |
| 1979-S Lincoln Memorial Cent Proof (Only, Clear S) | – | Variety | – |
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.