1942 Penny (Lincoln Cent): Mintage & What to Check

In 1942 the U.S. Mint struck about 950.1 million Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 657.8 million, Denver 206.7 million, San Francisco 85.6 million. That is 14% fewer than 1941. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 1942 ranks number 79 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is a mid-range date for availability. The scarcest 1942 issue by mintage is San Francisco (85,590,000); the most common is Philadelphia (657,796,000). Within the 1940s, 1942 ranks 6 of 10 years for mintage; the decade's high was 1944 (2.15 billion) and its low was 1949 (435.2 million). Mint by mint: Philadelphia fell 26% from 1941; Denver rose 61% from 1941; San Francisco fell 7% from 1941. Proof cents for collectors: 32,600 from Philadelphia.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 1942 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 1942 circulation cents are D (Denver) and S (San Francisco). Proof cents for 1942 were struck at Philadelphia with no mint mark; they have mirror-like fields and came from collector sets, not from circulation.

• 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 1942 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 1942 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 1942 issue), and the grade (an uncirculated coin with original red colour is a different market from a worn brown one). A normal, circulated 1942 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.