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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
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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. IN GOD WE TRUST |
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Reverse
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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. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA |
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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