1916 Penny (Lincoln Cent): Mintage & What to Check

In 1916 the U.S. Mint struck about 190.3 million Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 131.8 million, Denver 36.0 million, San Francisco 22.5 million. That is 240% more than 1915. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 1916 ranks number 99 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is one of the lower-mintage dates of the series. The scarcest 1916 issue by mintage is San Francisco (22,510,000); the most common is Philadelphia (131,832,627). Within the 1910s, 1916 ranks 4 of 10 years for mintage; the decade's high was 1919 (588.9 million) and its low was 1915 (56.0 million). Mint by mint: Philadelphia rose 353% from 1915; Denver rose 63% from 1915; San Francisco rose 366% from 1915. Proof cents for collectors: 1,050 from Philadelphia.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 1916 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 1916 circulation cents are D (Denver) and S (San Francisco). Proof cents for 1916 were struck at Philadelphia with no mint mark; they have mirror-like fields and came from collector sets, not from circulation.

• From 1909 through mid-1918 the designer's initials do not appear on the obverse. If a coin dated in this range shows tiny V.D.B. letters at the cut-off of Lincoln's shoulder, it is not an original strike from that year.
• Wheat cents were struck in bronze (3.11 g) except for 1943. Genuine coins show a plain edge and a slightly lighter, more reddish colour than modern zinc cents when uncirculated; a brown, evenly worn coin is the normal state for this era and is not damage.
• For any 1916 cent, check three things before anything else: that the date and mint mark are fully readable, that the surfaces have not been cleaned (unnatural brightness, fine parallel scratches), and whether any doubling on the lettering is true die doubling (rounded, separated) rather than flat machine doubling.

What a 1916 cent is worth depends on three things in this order: the variety (a recognised doubled die or transitional error is worth far more than a normal coin), the mint (San Francisco is the lowest-mintage 1916 issue), and the grade (an uncirculated coin with original red colour is a different market from a worn brown one). A normal, circulated 1916 cent from the most common mint is an available coin; published price guides from grading services list values by grade and variety, and they change over time. This page does not give prices. To get a reference range for the exact coin in your hand, photograph both sides in even light and let the app read the date, mint mark and visible varieties first.