Here we are again, talking about error coins and their coveted spots on Whitman Publishing’s 100 Greatest United States Modern Coins series. This fourth edition places this one-cent denomination nearly at the very bottom of the list, but nonetheless, it has earned its spot due to the highly unusual nature to which it was struck. Authors Scott Schechter and Jeff Garrett talk us through the coin that was a product of several changes in the same year due to rising costs.
#99 – 1982-D Small Date Cent, Bronze Planchet Error Coin
Seven different Lincoln cents were issued for circulation in 1982. This sounds extreme because it is and was only necessary due to the rising costs of copper, the predominant metal used in striking the one-cent denomination. However, the United States Mint would try to combat that problem by switching from bronze to copper-plated zinc. As a result, coins were issued in both metals that year.
To add to the switch in metal composition, a redesign was also executed to lower the relief and bring out more detail. The change was implemented to improve the overall appearance of the pennies in addition to the quality with which they were struck in the new metal. The redesign featured a smaller date while the earlier design type is referred to as the Large Date.
Back then, Lincoln cents were being struck in Philadelphia and Denver. The Philadelphia minted coins did not feature a mintmark. Of the seven total coins struck that year for the 1982 Lincoln cent, a Small Date and Large Date coin was struck at Philadelphia in bronze and copper-plated zinc. In Denver, the Large Date was struck in both bronze and copper-plated zinc in addition to the Small Date strike in copper-plated zinc only. While that totals seven varieties, it was 35 years later in 2016 when a collector would come across a 1982-D, Small Date, cent struck in bronze. It was sent off to experts for authentication, which was given by NGC. They encapsulated the coin with the pedigree, “Discovery Specimen.”
Authors Garrett and Schechter recognize the argument that this means there are eight varieties of the 1982 Lincoln cent made for circulation, but they boil it down to being a “transitional Mint error,” explaining that the coin was struck on a “leftover planchet intended for the earlier production of Large Date coins.”
If anything, the discovery made the hunt for more of these coins more popular. The one that was found and authenticated was graded an AU58 BN and was sold at auction for $18,800 in 2017. So far, there have not been any more found.
This entry was only just added in the third edition of this publication, maintaining its rank in this fourth edition.