Lincoln Memorial Key Dates

The Lincoln Memorial cents, also known as Lincoln Memorial pennies, were issued by the United States Mint from 1959 to 2008. Here are some key dates and notable variations for Lincoln Memorial cents:

1959: The first year of issue for the Lincoln Memorial cent, replacing the Wheat cent design.

1960: Small Date and Large Date varieties were minted, with the Small Date being rarer.

1970-S: A small number of cents were mistakenly struck with a 1969-S mint mark, making them valuable.

1982: The composition of the cent changed from 95% copper and 5% zinc to 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper due to rising metal costs. Both copper and zinc versions were minted this year.

1983: The composition of the cent was permanently changed to the current 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper.

1984: The "D" mint mark was added to denote coins struck at the Denver Mint.

1992: Close AM and Wide AM varieties exist, referring to the spacing of the letters "A" and "M" in "AMERICA" on the reverse side. The Close AM variety is scarcer and more valuable.

1995: Doubled Die Obverse variety exists, where the obverse design has a doubling effect. These are rare and sought after by collectors.

1999: The reverse design was modified to include the initials "FG" (for Frank Gasparro, the coin's designer) on the bottom right side of the base of the Lincoln Memorial.

2009: Special bicentennial cent designs were issued to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. Four different reverse designs were released throughout the year.

These are just a few notable dates and varieties for Lincoln Memorial cents. There may be other variations or errors that are of interest to collectors. If you are specifically looking for information on a particular date or variety, please let me know, and I'll provide more details if available.