1962 Penny Value: Price Chart by Grade & Mint Mark

In 1962 the U.S. Mint struck about 2.40 billion Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 606.0 million, Denver 1.79 billion. That is 4% fewer than 1961. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 1962 ranks number 61 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is a mid-range date for availability. The scarcest 1962 issue by mintage is Philadelphia (606,045,000); the most common is Denver (1,793,148,400). Within the 1960s, 1962 ranks 7 of 10 years for mintage; the decade's high was 1964 (6.45 billion) and its low was 1965 (1.50 billion). Mint by mint: Philadelphia fell 20% from 1961; Denver rose 2% from 1961. Proof cents for collectors: 3,218,019 from Philadelphia.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 1962 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 1962 circulation cents are D (Denver). Proof cents for 1962 were struck at Philadelphia with no mint mark; they have mirror-like fields and came from collector sets, not from circulation.

• Cents from this era are 95% copper and weigh 3.11 g. A coin with this date that weighs about 2.5 g is a plated or altered piece, not a transitional error (zinc cents only begin in 1982). Small raised blobs or lines between letters, especially between the B and E of LIBERTY, are die breaks (collectors call them BIE cents); they are common and carry little premium.
• Before anything else, confirm the date and mint mark are fully readable and that the surfaces have not been cleaned; the dates and mint marks guide shows what cleaning and machine doubling look like.

PCGS Price Guide values for 1962 cents (updated September 24, 2026, U.S. dollars, for coins certified by PCGS):

• 1962: $7 in MS63 RD and $18 in MS65 RD.
• 1962-D: $3 in MS63 RD and $20 in MS65 RD.

Philadelphia is the lowest-mintage 1962 issue (606,045,000 struck), so it is the mint collectors check first. Guide prices assume a certified coin; an uncertified, worn 1962 cent usually sells for less than the lowest figure above, often little more than face value. RD means full original red copper, RB red-brown, BN brown; the color grade can multiply the price. How grade and variety turn into a number is explained in what makes a coin valuable.