1972 Lincoln Penny Value

In most cases, the 1972 Lincoln penny value is low, and practically no one wants to buy one in circulated condition. Even well-preserved pieces in the mint state cost a modest $0.33 to $0.85, depending on the mint mark.

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. Therefore, pay attention when finding this coin because a double-die specimen can be pricey.

*by USA Coin Book

History of the 1972 Lincoln Penny

The US Mint has produced the Lincoln penny (cent) from 1909 to these days. Augustus Saint-Gaudens got an assignment to create four gold coins and the cent in 1905.

Two of his proposed designs were adapted for the gold coins, but he died before submitting the one for the cent. Therefore, Victor D. Brenner created the penny with the 16th American President Abraham Lincoln in 1909 in honor of the centennial year of his birth.

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. However, that was changed in 1958 when the Lincoln Memorial cent with a new Frank Gasparro’s reverse design debuted.

The US Mint struck the Lincoln penny with this design until 2008. 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 idea was to represent four significant moments of his life.

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.

Features of the 1972 Lincoln Penny

Engraver 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.

President Eisenhower decided to change the reverse, and the Lincoln Memorial building replaced recognizable wheat ears. The new Frank Gasparro‘s design, released on February 12, 1959, was a way of celebrating a favorite American president’s 150th birth anniversary.

Interestingly, no one knew about that idea before the coin releasing because the new design resulted from internal competition.

Some engravers objected to the famous building’s appearance because the 10th Chief Engraver of the US Mint never saw it in person. Moreover, Walter Breen, a respectful numismatic historian, described this design as a genuine artistic disaster.

The obverse of the 1972 Lincoln penny

The central figure on the 1972 Lincoln penny is the Abraham Lincoln bust faced right, like in all pennies struck from 1909 until today. The motto IN GOD WE TRUST is placed along the upper coin rim.

The favorite American word LIBERTY is placed on the left bust side, while the date is struck in front of Lincoln’s portrait. You can see a small letter S or D under the date, representing the mint.

The reverse of the 1972 Lincoln penny

The 1972 Lincoln penny comes with memorial reverse. You can see the centrally positioned Lincoln memorial building with the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA on the top.

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.

SUBSCRIBE IF YOU LOVE MONEY!
╔═╦╗╔╦╗╔═╦═╦╦╦╦╗╔═╗
║╚╣║║║╚╣╚╣╔╣╔╣║╚╣═╣
╠╗║╚╝║║╠╗║╚╣║║║║║═╣
╚═╩══╩═╩═╩═╩╝╚╩═╩═╝

—————————————————————-

HELPFUL LINKS
• My Book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1693896982
• Starnote Lookup: https://varietyerrors.com/star-note-l…
• Modern Coin Price Guide: https://varietyerrors.com/modern-coin…
• Error Coin Price Guide: https://varietyerrors.com/coin-price-…
• Coin News: https://varietyerrors.com/bitcoin-and…
• Banknote Guid: https://varietyerrors.com/paper-money…
• Our Site: http://www.varietyerrors.com
• My Book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1693896982