Did you find a 1959 penny in your pocket change or recently notice one in your coin jar?
If so, then you’re probably curious if that 1959 Lincoln Memorial cent is worth more than a penny — right?
If you’d like to find out more about 1959 pennies, why they’re special, and how much they’re worth, then you’ve come to the right place!
In this article, you will find:
- Interesting 1959 penny facts
- How much your 1959 pennies are worth today
1959 Penny Facts
The 1959 penny is special because it became the first U.S. cent to bear a reverse (tails side) portrait of the Lincoln Memorial.
The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C. in 1922 to honor the life of President Abraham Lincoln — who remains on the obverse (heads side) of the one-cent coin today.
The Lincoln Memorial design replaced the famous wheat ears, or Lincoln wheat penny design that was struck on the coin from 1909 through 1958.
While people loved wheat pennies, the new 1959 one-cent coins were popular with the public when they were first released.
There are always critics though. Some even called the new coins “trolley car cents,” likening the Lincoln Memorial design to the appearance of a trolley car.
The new Lincoln Memorial design was created by Frank Gasparro, whose initials FG are found to the bottom right of the Lincoln Memorial design. Gasparro also designed other famous coins — such as the Eisenhower dollar and Susan B. Anthony dollar.
Finding a 1959 Lincoln Memorial penny today isn’t too hard with enough searching, but they’re becoming more challenging to locate as newer pennies continually displace older ones in circulation.
It’s actually getting much more difficult to find any pre-1982 pennies in spare change these days — because people are saving them for their intrinsic copper value (which is currently worth about 2 cents).
In other words, these old copper pennies are worth about twice their face value!
But does that mean all 1959 pennies are worth “only” 2 cents?
In a word…No.
How Much Are 1959 Pennies Worth?
If you find a 1959 penny in your pocket change, keep it!
They’re all worth at least 2 cents — so you’re doubling your money.
The only 1959 pennies worth more than 2 cents are:
- Those that contain rare errors or varieties
- Those that are uncirculated (and show no signs of wear)
- Those that are proofs (made for collectors and sold in sets)
It’s possible to find a circulated 1959 penny with some interesting errors — such as repunched mintmarks or maybe even a doubled die.
But you’re not going to find any unworn 1959 pennies in your spare change, because virtually anything you find in circulation will show some — even minute indications — of some wear.
Here’s how much 1959 uncirculated pennies and 1959 proof pennies are worth:
- 1959 penny (no mintmark) — 609,715,000 minted; worth 25 to 50+ cents
- 1959-D penny — 1,279,760,000 (1.27 billion) minted; worth 25 to 50+ cents
- 1959 proof penny — 1,149,291 minted; worth $2+
*These values are for uncirculated and proof 1959 pennies, and therefore must have no signs of wear.
Read about the rare and valuable 1959-D penny mule coin!
Do you have a 1967 penny? Think there may be something unique about it? Post a picture of your coin in the comments below and I’ll try to help!
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