Obverse. Image Courtesy of Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS.com)
  • 1 Cent 1982, KM# 201a, United States of America (USA)
  • 1 Cent 1982, KM# 201a, United States of America (USA)
Description

The United States one-cent coin, commonly known as a penny, is a unit of currency equaling one-hundredth of a United States dollar. The cent's symbol is ¢. Its obverse has featured the profile of President Abraham Lincoln since 1909, the centennial of his birth. The colloquial term penny derives from the British coin of the same name, the pre-decimal version of which had a similar value.

In 1959, marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Lincoln, the reverse of the cent was changed from the wheat heads to an image of the Lincoln Memorial, designed by Mint engraver Frank Gasparro. This first major design change in 50 years would itself last 50 years.

In the 1970s, the price of copper began to rise precipitously. The U.S. Mint experimented with using cheaper alloys and aluminum. In 1982, a change was finally adopted. The replacement for bronze was a zinc core, plated with pure copper. By substituting 99.2% zinc for 95% copper, Lincoln cents could again be produced economically.

So 1982 marks a year of transition for the Lincoln cent, and it also offers a unique opportunity for the collector. Since the changeover to the new material occurred after production of the cents had already begun, both bronze and zinc-core planchets were used in 1982. In addition to the change in metal composition, two different hub design styles were also used to produce coins of both types. These differences are what are referred to as "Large Date" and "Small Date" varieties.

The Large Date 1982 Lincoln cent has a taller, thicker date then that of the Small Date. Its lettering often has a mushy appearance, especially on coins of a later die state. The bust is also larger, with Lincoln's vest approaching much closer to the rim than its Small Date counterpart. The Small Date in comparison has thin, sharp letters and, as one might expect, a smaller date. Lincoln's bust is also smaller and sits further from the coin's rim.

Both the Small and Large Date coins appear in both metals and from both the Philadelphia and Denver Mints. It is fairly easy to tell the difference between a mainly zinc and mainly copper 1982 cent. The copper cent weighs 3.11 grams, whereas the zinc cent weighs 2.5 grams.

Obverse

Abraham Lincoln (the 16th President of the United States, led the United States through its Civil War, abolished slavery) bust right, date lower right. The lettering LIBERTY and the motto IN GOD WE TRUST.

When the Lincoln one-cent coin made its initial appearance in 1909, it was the first regular coin to bear a portrait. In fact, the first President of the United States George Washington is said to have refused to allow his likeness to be incorporated into any coins. He felt, and most agreed for decades, that a portrait of a real individual was too similar to the practice of using images of royalty on coins used by the monarchal governments of Europe. But public sentiment stemming from the 100th anniversary celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birth proved stronger than the long-standing tradition. The motto In God We Trust appeared for the first time on a coin of this denomination.

The letters VDB stamped on the bottom sleeve of Abraham Lincoln represent the initials of Victor David Brenner, the primary designer of the Wheat cent (1909–1958).

IN GOD WE TRUST
LIBERTY
1982
VDB

Reverse

The imposing marble Lincoln Memorial provides the central motif, with the legends E Pluribus Unum (Latin for "Out of many, one") and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA completing the design, together with the denomination. The initials FG appear on the right, near the shrubbery.

The Lincoln Memorial reverse designed by Frank Gasparro (FG) was introduced in 1959 to mark the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. The Memorial reverse made the Lincoln cent the first U.S. coin struck for circulation to depict the same person on both the obverse and reverse, since a statue of Lincoln can be seen inside the memorial on the reverse.

The Lincoln Memorial is an American national monument built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The architect was Henry Bacon; the designer of the primary statue – Abraham Lincoln, 1920 – was Daniel Chester French; the Lincoln statue was carved by the Piccirilli Brothers; and the painter of the interior murals was Jules Guerin. Dedicated in 1922, it is one of several monuments built to honor an American president. The building is in the form of a Greek Doric temple and contains a large seated sculpture of Abraham Lincoln and inscriptions of two well-known speeches by Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address. The memorial has been the site of many famous speeches, including Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered on August 28, 1963, during the rally at the end of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
E • PLURIBUS
• UNUM •
FG
ONE CENT

Edge

1 Cent

Lincoln Memorial Cent
KM# 201a
Characteristics
Material Copper Plated Zinc
Weight 2.5 g
Diameter 19 mm
Thickness 1 mm
Shape round
Alignment Coin
Mints
Denver Mint (D)
Philadelphia Mint (P)

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