

The most expensive specimen, with MS 67 rating and beautiful red toning, was sold at Heritage Auctions in 2013 for $3,290. While you can buy most of these pieces for 20 to 40 cents, you can find dealers prepared to pay $1 for specimens in grades over MS 65.ĭespite relatively low regular prices, a few 1972 No Mint Lincoln wheat pennies reached impressive auction records. The Philadelphia mint struck 2.93 billion Lincoln pennies without the mint mark in 1972. However, you should be aware that it is illegal to melt copper pennies at the moment, but this ban is likely to be lifted in the future. Related Post: 19 Valuable Lincoln Memorial Penny Worth Money 1972 Lincoln Penny Value GuidesĮven the worst preserved 1972 Lincoln pennies are worth their weight in copper, or $0.02, based on this metal’s current market value. Each piece is 0.05984 inches (1.52 mm) thick and has a diameter of 0.74803 (19 mm). It is made of copper with added 5% zinc and tin and weighs precisely 0.10970 ounces (3.11 g). The 1972 Lincoln penny is a one-cent round coin with a plain edge.


The denomination ONE CENT is on the bottom coin rim, while the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM, broken in two rows, is placed above the building. You can see the centrally positioned Lincoln memorial building with the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA on the top. The 1972 Lincoln penny comes with memorial reverse. You can see a small letter S or D under the date, representing the mint. The favorite American word LIBERTY is placed on the left bust side, while the date is struck in front of Lincoln’s portrait. The motto IN GOD WE TRUST is placed along the upper coin rim. The central figure on the 1972 Lincoln penny is the Abraham Lincoln bust faced right, like in all pennies struck from 1909 until today. Moreover, Walter Breen, a respectful numismatic historian, described this design as a genuine artistic disaster. Some engravers objected to the famous building’s appearance because the 10th Chief Engraver of the US Mint never saw it in person. Interestingly, no one knew about that idea before the coin releasing because the new design resulted from internal competition. The new Frank Gasparro‘s design, released on February 12, 1959, was a way of celebrating a favorite American president’s 150th birth anniversary. President Eisenhower decided to change the reverse, and the Lincoln Memorial building replaced recognizable wheat ears. Related Post: 16 Most Valuable Wheat Penny Errors In Circulation Features of the 1972 Lincoln PennyĮngraver and sculptor Victor David Brenner designed the original coin’s obverse and reverse, and you can see them on pennies struck from 1909 to 1958. Mints in Philadelphia and Denver struck most of the 5.978.526.504 Lincoln pennies produced in 1972, with a significantly smaller share from the San Francisco mint. The idea was to represent four significant moments of his life. The following year, appeared the Lincoln Bicentennial one-cent program in honor of the bicentennial year of the beloved and reputable American President’s birth. The US Mint struck the Lincoln penny with this design until 2008. However, that was changed in 1958 when the Lincoln Memorial cent with a new Frank Gasparro’s reverse design debuted. The coin was issued to circulation on August 2, 1909, and immediately got the name Lincoln wheat penny, thanks to two ears of wheat on the reverse. Brenner created the penny with the 16th American President Abraham Lincoln in 1909 in honor of the centennial year of his birth. Two of his proposed designs were adapted for the gold coins, but he died before submitting the one for the cent. Augustus Saint-Gaudens got an assignment to create four gold coins and the cent in 1905. The US Mint has produced the Lincoln penny (cent) from 1909 to these days. *by USA Coin Book History of the 1972 Lincoln Penny Therefore, pay attention when finding this coin because a double-die specimen can be pricey. However, you can also find penny proofs struck this year in the San Francisco mint worth approximately $1 and rare errors most collectors want to see in their collections. Even well-preserved pieces in the mint state cost a modest $0.33 to $0.85, depending on the mint mark. In most cases, the 1972 Lincoln penny value is low, and practically no one wants to buy one in circulated condition.
