Coin specifications and design
Design identification
Obverse: Abraham Lincoln portrait.
Reverse: The Lincoln Memorial appears above the denomination, with the statue of Lincoln visible between the central columns on well-struck coins.
U.S. Mint coin reference
Lincoln Memorial Penny
Lincoln Memorial Cent 1959-2008 Memorial reverse Lincoln cents separated into their own guide.
Lincoln Memorial cent series notes
Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse replaced the wheat design in 1959 and remained in use through 2008. The Memorial type therefore excludes the four Bicentennial reverses of 2009 and the Union Shield reverse introduced in 2010.
Composition transition: Bronze cents continued through part of 1982. Copper-plated zinc cents entered production that year, producing a multi-variety 1982 set divided by Large Date and Small Date styles, mint mark, and planchet composition. Weight is the practical first test: bronze pieces are about 3.11 grams and zinc pieces about 2.50 grams.
Variety structure: Important targets include the 1960 and 1970-S Small Date varieties, 1972 doubled die obverse, 1983 doubled die reverse, 1984 doubled ear, 1992 Close AM, and 1998–2000 Wide AM business strikes. Die attribution is required; spacing alone can be misleading on damaged or distorted coins.