Lincoln pennies are coins with a long history. Although they are more than a century old, you can still find them in circulation. This lowest denomination of American money has undergone many changes in its appearance over the years and is amusing to collectors.
To determine the 1919 Lincoln penny value, you need to be familiar with its appearance. The price you will pay for it will depend on the preservation, wear signs, and noticeable damage. However, its value will also depend on the mint sign and the coin number minted.
1919 Lincoln Penny History
The US Mint produced Lincoln penny from 1909 to 1958. 1919 was a wealthy year for this coin, with nearly 600 million pieces minted in three mints.
1919 Lincoln penny |
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| Location | Year | Minted | Value |
| Philadelphia | 1919 | 392,021,000 | $2.25 |
| San Francisco | 1919 S | 139,760,000 | $2.15 |
| Denver | 1919 D | 57,154,000 | $2 |
| Total | / | 588,935,000 | / |
The coin design from 1919 is the same as with other pennies, and its obverse includes:
- The profile of former US President Abraham Lincoln
- The inscriptions LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST
- The printing year
On the reverse, you can see:
- Two wheat stalks
- The Latin saying E PLURIBUS UNUM
- The written coin value ONE CENT
1919 Lincoln penny |
|
| Face value | 1 cent ($0.01) |
| Compound | 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc |
| Coin weight | 0.1097 ounces (3.11 g) |
| Coin diameter | 0.75Â inches (19.05 mm) |
| Coin thickness | 0.0559 inches (1.42 mm) |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
The only thing that sets this penny apart from others is the designer Victor David Brenner‘s initials placed on the obverse on Lincoln’s shoulder. These initials were first at the reverse bottom but then changed place due to controversy.
Americans believed that these three letters were too prominent. You can find them on the coin again, starting with 1918, but they are way smaller and placed at a different location.
1919 Lincoln Penny Types
In 1919, three mints produced these pennies:
- Philadelphia minted pennies without a particular mint mark
- San Francisco minted pennies with an S mint mark
- Denver minted pennies with a D mint mark
1919 Lincoln penny value* |
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| Quality | 1919 | 1919 S | 1919 D |
| Good | $0.22 | $0.22 | $0.54 |
| Very good | $0.32 | $0.43 | $0.82 |
| Fine | $0.43 | $1.11 | $1.11 |
| Very fine | $1.11 | $2.22 | $4.41 |
| Extra fine | $3.49 | $6.48 | $11 |
| About uncirculated | $5.56 | $20 | $35 |
| MS 60 | $16 | $54 | $72 |
| MS 63 | $30 | $128 | $118 |
*by USA Coin book
1919 Lincoln penny without a mint markÂ
The Philadelphia mint was famous for the most minted pennies in 1919 from the middle of the Lincoln wheat series. With more than 392 million coins, this mint held that mintage record until 1940.
As a result, these coins are very present on the market nowadays, and it will make no problem to find them.
1919 Lincoln penny value* |
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| Year | Quality | |||
| Good | Fine | Extra fine | Uncirculated | |
| 1919 | $0.20 | $0.40 | $3.25 | $5 |
| 1919 S | $0.20 | $1 | $6 | $18 |
| 1919 D | $0.50 | $1 | $10 | $32 |
           *by JM Bullion
The coin should have the best possible grade to get a premium market quality, and it should also be eye-catching. Such a piece quickly attracts new collectors because of its affordable price. Be aware that this penny is old, so the uncirculated pieces are a rarity.
1919 S Lincoln penny
A considerable quantity of these 1919 S coins is easily accessible today. You can find many of them in good conditions, with just Lincoln’s outline defined. Those coins’ value changes according to the market demand. As you can guess, a higher demand is for well-defined coins with sharp details.
1919 Lincoln penny value* |
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| Year | Quality | |||
| Good | Fine | Extra fine | Uncirculated | |
| 1919 | $0.12 | $0.36 | $1.25 | $6 |
| 1919 S | $0.24 | $0.83 | $4.43 | $34 |
| 1919 D | $0.30 | $0.80 | $8.09 | $33 |
               *by CoinStudy
1919 D Lincoln penny
Denver mint was not very active in 1919, and it minted the least number of pennies. Therefore, well-preserved coins have a high market value. When inspecting a coin, always check the ONE CENT engraving because it can be the referring point when grading 1919 D Lincoln penny.
| 1919 Lincoln penny value* | |||
| Quality | 1919 | 1919 S | 1919 D |
| Good | $0.10 | $0.15 | $0.25 |
| Very good | $0.15 | $0.25 | $0.35 |
| Fine | $0.20 | $0.30 | $0.50 |
| Very fine | $0.30 | $0.40 | $1 |
| Extra fine | $0.50 | $0.50 | $2 |
| About uncirculated | $2 | $3 | $10 |
| MS 63 | $25 | $75 | $138 |
| MS 65 | $172 | $4,312 | $1,840+ |
                    *by COIN HelpU
1919 Lincoln Penny Errors
The US Mint did a great job with this penny, but you can still find a few errors. All of them impact the coin’s value by increasing its price.
Doubled die penny
You can sometimes find a coin that shows doubling in the engravings, such as E PLURIBUS UNUM and the wheat stalks. A value of such a coin can go very high, and you can expect to get $100 to $200 for a piece.
1919 Lincoln penny value* |
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| Coin | Quality | |||
| Good | Fine | Extra fine | Uncirculated | |
| 1919 | $0.10 to $0.25 | $0.25 to $0.50 | $1 to $1.50 | $8+ |
| 1919 S | $0.25 to $0.50 | $2 to $2.50 | $3.50 to $4 | $45+ |
| 1919 D | $0.25 to $0.50 | $0.50 to $1 | $6.50 to $7 | $55+ |
          *by Coinflation
Off-center penny
There are two possible reasons for this error, and both of them include inadvertent coin movement during minting. It could happen that the coin moved while getting struck, or it didn’t align as it should have before the strike.
Mistakes that involve a strike being off-center between 1% and 3% are very usual and can slightly increase the coin value. In 1919, off-center pennies were at least 5% to 10% off focus, increasing their value to $10 or even $20.
Re-punched mintmark penny
In 1919, each coin got its mint mark individually, and some of them got struck several times from different angles or on the wrong area. These cool-looking mistakes can increase the value of your coin, so you can buy or sell it for $5 to $25 or even more.
1919 Lincoln Penny Grading
The first step in grading the coin value is to determine its overall look based on condition. Let’s take a look.
Uncirculated 1919 Lincoln penny
The coin luster is a crucial thing common for every uncirculated coin, including the 1919 Lincoln penny. You can’t see any sign of wear in such a piece, including scratches and stains.
This penny in the mint state is rich in obverse details. The crucial points are Lincoln’s cheek and jaw, and they shouldn’t have even the slightest traces of use.
| 1919 Lincoln penny value* | |||
| Quality | 1919 | 1919 S | 1919 D |
| Good | $0.15 | $0.25 | $0.60 |
| Very good | $0.25 | $0.35 | $0.75 |
| Fine | $0.35 | $1.15 | $1 |
| Very fine | $1.15 | $2.25 | $2.50 |
| Extra fine | $2.60 | $5.25 | $10 |
| Uncirculated | $5.75 | $16 | $30 |
| Brilliant uncirculated | $10.75 | $40 | $52 |
| MS 65 | $335 | $475 | $1,190 |
*by Hobbizine
Extra fine 1919 Lincoln pennyÂ
Since copper is subject to discoloration, you will know that a particular coin is not uncirculated if you spot any color changes. Slight wear signs and scratches are visible on the surface, sharp details have begun to blend with other ones, and the highest points of the coin are slightly aligned.
However, crucial coin details are still readable and easy to spot. You can also notice color contrasts since some parts of the coins can still have luster.
Fine 1919 Lincoln pennyÂ
Coins in this condition can’t offer any sharp details because they are a bit flattened. There is also no luster anymore, and the copper entirely changed its color.
You can only spot main details, such as hair waves on Lincoln’s head. Luckily, letterings are still intact due to their low points on the coin surface.
| 1919 Lincoln penny value* | |||
| Quality | 1919 | 1919 S | 1919 D |
| Good | $0.36 to $0.46 | $0.40 to $0.50 | $0.75 to $1.07 |
| Very good | $0.40 to $0.56 | $0.40 to $0.73 | $1.50 to $2.09 |
| Fine | $0.50 to $0.56 | $1.10 to $1.85 | $1.95 to $2.45 |
| Very fine | $0.55 to $1.46 | $2.65 to $6.48 | $4.5 to $8.10 |
| Extra fine | $1.50 to $3.24 | $6.08 to $12.96 | $10.80 to $17.82 |
| About uncirculated | $5.40 to $8.10 | $18.90 to $48.60 | $28.35 to 62 |
| MS 60 | $8.10 to $9.72 | $54 to $65 | $68 to $81 |
| MS 61 | $11.75 to $14.09 | $77 to $92 | $84 to $100 |
| MS 62 | $14.18 to $17.01 | $92 to $110 | $94 to $113 |
| MS 63 | $18.90 to $22.68 | $122 to $140 | $115 to $133 |
| MS 64 | $27 to $32.40 | $195 to $224 | $169 to $203 |
| MS 65 | $88 to $115 | $416 to 478 | $325 to $416 |
*by Greysheet
Good 1919 Lincoln penny
Areas on these coins are pretty flat and even to each other. Sharp details don’t exist anymore, which are the main referring points to determine the penny’s grade. The copper color is also different from the required.
There is no more bronze luster, and you can see only the brown matte color. Letterings started to get flattened, and only Lincoln’s outline still makes the proper definition.
Summary
1919 Lincoln penny will make a nice bonus to your collection. It is not a rare coin, but you will probably be lucky if you succeed in finding some rare pieces or those with errors. Remember that a few rarities reached high prices on auctions, up to several thousand dollars.
