The value of a 1959 Lincoln penny in average condition is one cent; in mint state, it can have a value of about 22 dollars. It was the first non-wheat ear or non-wheat penny made since 1909. The Lincoln Cent was introduced from 1959 to 2008. There were 1.1 million proofs made this year at P.M. Most 1959 Lincoln pennies are not of high value. But they can be sold for high prices in uncirculated condition. Here are different features of the history of the 1959 Wheat Penny Value. Let’s discuss the 1959 Wheat Penny Value (Rare Errors, “D,” and No Mint Mark).
History of the 1959 Penny
The 1959 year is famous due to the birth date of Abraham Lincoln. Some coins that were issued as his remembrance have been struck for forty years. But the mint decided to make new coins to celebrate the anniversary. The first Lincoln penny was made in 1909 and is historically important. That comes with a photo of Abraham Lincoln on the front side, and on the back side, two ears of wheat were made that were called wheat pennies. But when coins were made again in 1959, they came with the same photo on the front side, but on the back side was the Lincoln Memorial, situated in Washington, DC. There were about 2 billion pennies made in 1959. Mostly made at D mint, and some at P mint. In the new design, people showed their interest, so P.M. made millions-proof coins also. The new design was made by Frank Gasparro. The Lincoln Memorial was added to the back side of the coin until 2009. 2009 was known as the bicentenary of Lincoln’s birth, and then a new design was made.
1959 Lincoln penny Details
| Mint Mark | Mint Location |
Minted Quantity
|
| 1959 No mint-mark penny | Philadelphia | 609,715,000 |
| 1959 proof penny | Philadelphia | 1,149,291 |
| 1959 D penny | Denver | 1,279,760,000 |
| Total | – | 1,890,624,291 |
1959 Penny Features
- Its weight is 2.5 grams and its diameter is 19.05m with a thickness of 1.52mm.
- it has a smooth edge with a composition of 95% copper pre-1982, 97% copper, and 3% zinc after 1982.
- its design was made by Victor D. Brenner (front side), and Lyndall Bass (reverse).
1959 Penny Obverse
The front side of the coin comes with a photo of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the USA. The word God We Trust is written on the top part of the coins. The date is written with a mint mark. If no mark means coins are made by P mint.
Reverse of the 1959 Penny
1959: Penny was the first to have a photo of the Washington, DC, Lincoln Memorial on the backside. On the back side, there is the Statue of Lincoln in the mind of Protico. It is one of the pennies that has the Lincoln Memorial carrying a photo of Lincoln on both sides. In capital letters, dominance is written at the bottom of the coin. In the upper part, the word United States of America is written. Below these words, there is moto E PLURIBUS UNUM written, which means From the many, one.
1959 Penny Grading System
MS-63RB choice, uncirculated
In many focal parts, there are some contact marks. The luster of the coin may not be seen clearly and has a red-brown color.
MS-65RD gem uncirculated
This is clearer. Some light contact marks can be seen, but they are difficult to see, and the color is red.
PR-67RD proof
These coins do not have any errors. Its color is red and may come with some blemishes.
1959 (P) No Mint Mark Penny Value
Half of the Lincoln pennies were made at the P Mint rather than at the D or Denver Mint. It means coins without mint marks are of higher value than those with D mint marks. Coin quality defines their differences. The numbers one to seventy are used for coin grading; one is used for a coin that has larger errors or poor form, and 70 is used for coins that do not have errors.
For Lincoln Pennies, color is also an important factor. If they do not have any errors, then mostly brown and red pennies have a value equal to their face value. Red coins in mint condition will have a high value. For the 1959 P peny to have a value larger than its face value, it must be in red and have MS63 grade; it will have a value of about six dollars.
1959 D Penny Value
The pennies made in D mint have a value of about 2/3 more than pennies made in 1959. According to PCGS, about 2 lac out of 1.3 billion 1959 pennies made in Denver exist now. Half of them are graded MS65 or higher. Their values are lower than those of mint which has the same grades. Pennies must have red colors to have a higher worth than their face value.
The value for grades MS66 will range from four dollars to 55 dollars. The MS67 grade and larger have a high value.
- 1959 Denver penny MS67= 315 Dollars
- 1959 Denver penny MS67+= 2,850 Dollars
- 1959 Denver penny MS68= 9,000 Dollars
1959 (P) No Mint Mark Proof Penny Value
In 1959, there were about 1,149,291 proof pennies made at the P.M. For these pennies, highly polished planchets and specially-made dies were used. They were made to have high quality and were used to target the market.
There are three different types of qualities for proof. Since they are not used for circulation, all proof coins have a red color. If there is a difference between the flat field part of the coin and the forested raised part of the coin, then the coin is called a cameo. Cameos are higher in value than red coins, and deep cameos still have a larger value. Here is the value shown in the table.
| Grade | Red | Cameo | Deep Cameo |
|---|---|---|---|
| PR60 | $5 | $10 | $14 |
| PR65 | $15 | $20 | $28 |
| PR67+ | $45 | $30 | $42 |
| PR68 | $90 | $40 | $56 |
| PR69 | $425 | $2,000 | $19,000 |
1959 Penny Error List
1959 D Mule Penny
The new design of the Lincoln Memorial was added in 1959 to the penny. But the 1959 D. Lincoln mule memorial penny is the only penny that has wheat ears on its back side. In 1986, Leon Baller announced that he bought this coin for 1500 dollars. It is difficult to confirm that it is true because no one is shown after that. After that, Baller made a statement to the US Treasury Department that the coin he bought was real.
This penny did not get any certification for reality and did not get any grade, but Bllar contacted many grading companies, including PCGS. But Baller soled this 1959 D. Mule Lincoln penny in action. The new buyers contacted the finance ministry, and they said there was no evidence found that it was not real. So this penny was very controversial for collectors.
1959 (P), Double Die Obverse
The double-die obverse pennies made at P.M. in 1959 are considered a less controversial error. It was the outcome of an error during the production of the die used for the obverse strike. Die struck many times with the hub to capture each component of the design. Due to many strikes, the image has doubled. This image doubling was shifted to cin made by die. It was done with more than one die and resulted in many different double-die obverse varieties. One coded FS-101 is a high-value penny. It has double effects on the words liberty and date.
| Grade | Value |
|---|---|
| MS60 | $18 |
| MS66 | $850 |
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