The Lincoln penny (Lincoln cent, Wheat penny) is an American one-cent coin that started its production era in 1909. All specimens minted from 1909 to 1958 went under Victor David Brenner’s design with two recognizable ears of wheat on the reverse. Let’s see the average 1953 Lincoln penny value on the current market and the options you have when deciding to sell or buy this coin.
1953 Wheat Penny Types
The types of 1953 Lincoln pennies differ only in the mint from which they came out. In 1953, three mints produced this penny:
- Philadelphia minted this penny without a particular mint mark
- San Francisco minted this penny with an S mint mark
- Denver minted this penny with a D mint mark
1953 Lincoln penny |
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| Location | Year | Minted | Value |
| Philadelphia | 1953 | 256,755,000 | $0.15 to $18 |
| San Francisco | 1953 S | 181,835,000 | $0.15 to $5 |
| Denver | 1953 D | 700,515,000 | $0.15 to $12 |
| Total | / | 1,139,105,000 | / |
1953 Lincoln penny without a mint mark
There were more than one billion Lincoln pennies minted in 1953. Philadelphia mint managed to produce more than 250 million coins and stood in second place for the mintage number. These coins are still pretty popular among collectors.
1953 Lincoln penny |
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| Face value | 1 cent ($0.01) |
| Melt value | N/A |
| Compound | 95% copper and 5% tin or zinc |
| Coin weight | 0.08818 (2.5 g) |
| Coin diameter | 0.750 inches (19.05 mm) |
| Coin thickness | 0.0768 inches (1.95 mm) |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
The Lincoln penny from 1953 is crucial as a part of the collection set. There is a considerable demand for this coin from both advanced collectors and beginners, although these two groups look for different things and qualities.
Beginners and amateur collectors will satisfy with coins of lower quality, while experienced collectors always look for the highest graded pieces.
1953 Lincoln penny value* |
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| Quality | 1953 | 1953 S | 1953 D |
| Fine | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 |
| Very fine | $0.11 | $0.11 | $0.11 |
| Extra fine | $0.16 | $0.16 | $0.16 |
| About uncirculated | $0.22 | $0.22 | $0.22 |
| MS 60 | $0.55 | $0.66 | $0.55 |
| MS 63 | $1.11 | $2.22 | $1.11 |
| Proof | $33 | / | / |
*by USA Coin book
1953 D Lincoln penny
The Denver mint had the highest Lincoln penny mintage in 1953, with more than 700 million coins produced. Nowadays, it stands in 9th place for the number of minted coins in the whole series.
1953 Lincoln penny value* |
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| Year | Quality | |
| Extra fine | Uncirculated | |
| 1953 | $0.15 | $0.20 |
| 1953Â S | $0.15 | $0.20 |
| 1953Â D | $0.15 | $0.20 |
*by JM Bullion
Coins graded extra fine or above are popular among experienced collectors. A high-level arrangement of wheat pennies always includes a 1953 D Lincoln penny with a brilliant luster.
The lower-grade set stands to include a bit worn pieces. These coins are full of details that have lost sharpness, and you can notice scratches and stains over their surfaces.
1953 S Lincoln penny
Lincoln pennies minted in San Francisco were indicated as 1953 S. These specimens are easily found on the current market, implying they are not rare. It is pretty surprising since San Francisco mint produced the least amount of coins that year.
However, various reasons have led to the situation that you can still find plenty of these pieces in different grades. Therefore, they need to have some stand-out qualities to have a premium value.
1953 Lincoln penny value |
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| Year | Quality | |||
| Good | Fine | Extra fine | Uncirculated | |
| 1953 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.04 | $0.64 |
| 1953Â D | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.04 | $0.84 |
| 1953Â S | $0.03 | $0.03 | $0.05 | $0.68 |
*by CoinStudy
On circulated coins, you can find color toning, and that is normal. Copper is a material susceptible to changing color over time, typically from red to various shades of brown.
Keep in mind that even uncirculated coins can have traces of toning. You can find premium coins that are still in bright red color (RD), while those in the shade of red-brown (RB) are more affordable.
Specific 1953 Lincoln Pennies
In 1953 there were not any significant errors on the coins besides the common ones. Therefore, you can find plenty of inexpensive pieces on the market. A list of errors that occurred in 1953 includes:
Double date 1953 Lincoln penny – This coin price varies from $3 to $10, depending on its grade.
Extra eyelid 1953 Lincoln penny – This error coin minted in Denver will cost you from $3 to $10, based on its condition.
Doubled eyelid 1953 Lincoln penny – This flaw appears on pennies from the San Francisco mint. Their value is variable, and you can find specimens that cost $3 to $10 according to their appearance and quality.
Off-center 1953 Lincoln penny – All three mints produced a particular number of these coins. Nowadays, their price can quickly go over $50.
All these errors occurred after several strikes on the coin surface when a particular piece moved during the production process. That caused the doubling of some parts, and those specimens looked like they were struck more than once.
Sometimes pennies were not aligned correctly before the strike, and a result was off-center pieces. In some cases, coins turned around a few times during the mintage process, resulting in unusual pennies.
1953 Lincoln Penny Grading
The actual value of 1953 Lincoln pennies depends on their condition. Experienced collectors will always start with determining the production year and condition before grading the coin. They can quickly tell even the minor differences by visual appearance.
The 1953 Lincoln pennies are not rare, thanks to the high mintage that goes over one billion. However, their price can sometimes be higher, primarily because of color.
1953 Lincoln penny value* |
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| Quality | 1953 RB | 1953 D RB | 1953 S RB | 1953 RD | 1953 D RD | 1953 S RD |
| MS 63 | $0.9 to $1 | $0.5 to $0.7 | $0.9 to $1 | $2.6 to $3 | $2.6 to $3 | $0.8 to $1 |
| MS 64 | $1.8 to $2 | $0.7 to $0.8 | $1.8 to $2 | $6.7 to $8 | $4 to $4.8 | $1.9 to $2 |
| MS 65 | $4 to $4.86 | $4 to $4.8 | $4 to $4.8 | $24.3 to $29.7 | $13.5 to $20 | $10.8 to $13.5 |
| MS 66 | $13.5 to $20 | $13.5 to $20 | $16 to $23 | $81 to $108 | $40.5 to $61 | $36 to $43.7 |
| MS 67 | $61 to $74 | $61 to $74 | $63 to $77 | $2,380 to $3,750 | $468 to $538 | $208 to $260 |
*by Greysheet
Uncirculated – Coins in an uncirculated grade have no wear signs or any scratches on the surface. They are still untouched and have the luster covering the whole coin. All specific details have remained unchanged from the moment of forging to these days.
1953 Lincoln penny value* |
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| Quality | 1953 | 1953 S | 1953 D |
| Good | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 |
| Very good | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 |
| Fine | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 |
| Very fine | $0.07 | $0.08 | $0.09 |
| Extra fine | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.12 |
| Uncirculated | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 |
| Brilliant uncirculated | $0.30 | $0.30 | $0.35 |
*by Hobbizine
Extra fine – Only the highest points of such a coin have slight wear signs. That is usually enough to make a precise judgment about its condition. As soon as you notice that the highest points and details have started to fade, you can be sure that this particular piece is not in uncirculated condition.
Fine – A coin in this condition spent more time in circulation, so it has had many wear signs and scratches on the surface. You can’t find significant damages, but the color has faded, and the smoothing of the details is visible. Besides those slight imperfections, those coins are well-preserved.
1953 Lincoln penny value* |
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| Quality | 1953 | 1953 S | 1953 D |
| Good | $0.2 to $0.2 | $0.2 to $0.2 | $0.18 |
| Very good | $0.2 to $0.2 | $0.2 to $0.2 | $0.18 |
| Fine | $0.2 to $0.2 | $0.2 to $0.2 | $0.19 |
| Very fine | $0.25 to $0.3 | $0.25 to $0.27 | $0.19 |
| Extra fine | $0.27 to $0.3 | $0.27 to $0.3 | $0.2 to $0.21 |
| AU | $0.3 to $0.4 | $0.3 to $0.4 | $0.21 to $0.23 |
| MS 60 | $0.4 to $0.5 | $0.4 to $0.5 | $0.25 to $0.27 |
| MS 61 | $0.4 to $0.5 | $0.4 to $0.5 | $0.27 to $0.3 |
| MS 62 | $0.5 to $0.7 | $0.55 to $0.7 | $0.3 to $0.33 |
| MS 63 | $0.8 to $1 | $0.8 to $1 | $0.4 to $0.5 |
| MS 64 | $1.5 to $1.85 | $1.5 to $1.85 | $0.6 to $0.7 |
| MS 65 | $3.4 to $4 | $3.4 to $4 | $2.15 to $2.45 |
| MS 66 | $10.8 to $13 | $13.5 to $15.7 | $10.9 to $13 |
| MS 67 | $47 to $61 | $50 to $63 | $47.25 to $61 |
*by Greysheet
Good – Coins in good grade are the worst collectible pieces you can find on the market. They spent plenty of time in circulation and have had lots of different types of damage. You can notice numerous deep scratches, intense smoothing of the details, and visible signs of wear on the surface.
Summary
A Lincoln penny had a very high mintage in 1953, with more than a billion coins produced. That makes this specimen less rare but still a pretty desired piece for any collection. A few of those pennies in a mint state can be worth hundreds of dollars, but it is uncommon. Most of them are below the uncirculated condition, making them cheap specimens in a set.
