One Penny Coin: UK 1p and US Cent Facts and Values

A one penny coin is the smallest coin in two countries: in the UK it is the 1p, worth one hundredth of a pound, and in the US it is the one-cent coin that everyone calls a penny (Wikipedia), Wikipedia)). Telling them apart takes a second:

• UK 1p: the monarch on the front; the back reads ONE PENNY or NEW PENNY, or shows part of the Royal Shield or a hazel dormouse. 20.3 mm across.
• US cent: Abraham Lincoln on the front and ONE CENT on the back. 19.05 mm across.
• Pre-1971 British penny (1d): a much larger bronze coin, 31 mm, with Britannia on the back (Wikipedia)).

The decimal 1p was introduced on 15 February 1971 and weighs 3.56 g (The Royal Mint). Its designs by period (Wikipedia)):

• Back, 1971–1981: crowned portcullis with NEW PENNY.
• Back, 1982–2008: the same portcullis with ONE PENNY.
• Back, 2008–2022: a segment of the Royal Shield by Matthew Dent.
• Back, 2023 on: a hazel dormouse, for King Charles III.
• Front: Queen Elizabeth II portraits by Arnold Machin (1971–1984), Raphael Maklouf (1985–1997), Ian Rank-Broadley (1998–2015) and Jody Clark (2015–2022); King Charles III by Martin Jennings since 2022 (The Royal Mint).

Almost every UK 1p is worth one penny. It is still legal tender, but only for amounts up to 20p when paying a debt (Wikipedia)).

• Bronze 1p coins (1971 to September 1992): 97% copper. By 2006 the metal in a pre-1992 1p was worth about 1.5p (Wikipedia)), which is one reason bronze pennies were replaced.
• The magnet test: copper-plated steel 1p coins from late 1992 on are magnetic; bronze ones are not (The Royal Mint). Both kinds exist for 1992.
• Low-mintage dates: the 1972 1p was issued only in proof sets (150,000); 2018 (33,086) and 2019 (44,158) were made only for proof and uncirculated sets; 2023 had 600,000 for circulation; none were made in 2024 (Wikipedia)). A 2018 or 2019 1p in your change is therefore unusual.

We could not find a dated public price guide for these UK dates, so we do not quote a price. Check recent sold listings for the exact date and condition before selling.

Not as of the sources we checked. A 2015 proposal to withdraw it was vetoed by Prime Minister David Cameron, and in May 2019 Chancellor Philip Hammond said, after a 2018 consultation, that there were no plans to scrap copper coins (Wikipedia)). Production is simply paused when there are enough in circulation: no 1p coins were struck for circulation in 2018 or 2024.

Before decimalisation a penny (1d) was 1/240 of a pound, or 1/12 of a shilling; the d comes from the Roman denarius. From 1860 it was a bronze coin of 9.4 g and 31 mm, and it stopped being legal tender on 1 September 1971 (Wikipedia)).

Two dates are famous rarities. Only six or seven 1933 pennies were made, to be placed under the foundation stones of new buildings, and one was stolen when a church in Leeds was demolished in the 1960s. A single 1954 penny was struck for the Royal Mint's internal use (Wikipedia)). An ordinary old penny is common; a 1933 or 1954 date needs expert authentication.

The US one cent today weighs 2.5 g and is 97.5% zinc with a copper plating. The last cent for circulation was struck at the Philadelphia Mint on 12 November 2025; it remains legal tender, and about a quarter trillion were estimated to be in circulation in 2024 (Wikipedia)). Most are worth one cent.

The ones worth money are key dates, doubled dies and metal errors. From the PCGS Price Guide, September 24, 2026 (PCGS):

• 1909-S VDB: $875 in Good.
• 1955 doubled die: $875 in Good; $65,000 in MS65 RD.
• 1914-D: $185 in Good.
• 1943 bronze (Philadelphia): $235,000 in XF40 BN.

The full ranking is on top 100 pennies worth money, and US cent history on penny coins.

• Magnet: a magnetic UK 1p is steel (late 1992 or later); a magnetic US cent is almost always a 1943 steel cent. See 1943 steel penny.
• Scale: UK 1p 3.56 g; US cent 2.5 g since 1982.
• Date: look up the exact date and, on US cents, the mint mark under the date. See coin mint marks.
• Scan: CoinLens identifies UK and US coins from a photo.

This page was researched and drafted with the help of AI, then checked line by line against the sources listed below. Prices are dated and name their source: the PCGS Price Guide for Lincoln cents was read from its September 24, 2026 update; USA CoinBook numismatic values were last updated in February 2026 and its silver portion was read on September 25, 2026. Prices change, and a coin's real value depends on its exact grade and authenticity. Use CoinLens if you want to check a coin before you look it up here.