1922 Penny (Lincoln Cent): Mintage & What to Check

In 1922 the U.S. Mint struck about 7.2 million Lincoln cents for circulation: Denver 7.2 million. That is 87% fewer than 1921. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 1922 ranks number 117 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is one of the lower-mintage dates of the series. Only Denver struck circulation cents in 1922. Within the 1920s, 1922 ranks 10 of 10 years for mintage; the decade's high was 1920 (405.7 million) and its low was 1922 (7.2 million). Mint by mint: Denver did not strike circulation cents in 1921.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. The letters you can find on 1922 circulation cents are D (Denver).

• 1922 No D (Plain). The only circulation-strike coin in the entire Lincoln cent series that lacks its intended mint mark; caused by a worn/over-polished Denver die used because Denver was the sole mint striking cents that year.
• Only Denver struck cents in 1922, so every genuine 1922 cent should show a D under the date. Coins with a weak or missing D came from worn dies; the sought-after 'No D, Strong Reverse' variety is rare and heavily faked, usually by removing the D from an ordinary coin. Look for a sharp reverse paired with a missing D, and expect to need professional authentication.
• From 1918 onward the initials V.D.B. sit in tiny letters on the truncation of Lincoln's shoulder on the obverse. They are normal and do not add value; they are simply a way to confirm the coin's era.
• 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 1922 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 1922 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 (mintage figures above show how many were made), and the grade (an uncirculated coin with original red colour is a different market from a worn brown one). A normal, circulated 1922 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.