1972 Penny Value: Doubled Die Price Chart by Grade

In 1972 the U.S. Mint struck about 5.98 billion Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 2.93 billion, Denver 2.67 billion, San Francisco 376.9 million. That is 12% more than 1971. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 1972 ranks number 48 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is a mid-range date for availability. The scarcest 1972 issue by mintage is San Francisco (376,939,108); the most common is Philadelphia (2,933,255,000). Within the 1970s, 1972 ranks 8 of 10 years for mintage; the decade's high was 1979 (10.16 billion) and its low was 1971 (5.36 billion). Mint by mint: Philadelphia rose 53% from 1971; Denver fell 8% from 1971; San Francisco fell 28% from 1971. Proof cents for collectors: 3,260,996 from San Francisco.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 1972 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 1972 circulation cents are D (Denver) and S (San Francisco). Proof cents carry an S and have mirror-like fields; they came from collector sets, not from circulation.

• 1972 doubled-die obverse (Type 1). Strong southwest doubling on all four date digits; considered the major doubled die of 1972 among more than ten weaker doubled dies found that year, caused by a Mint hub-and-die modification made in 1969.
• The 1972 doubled die obverse (Philadelphia) shows clear doubling on LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and the date. Several lesser doubled dies exist for 1972; only the strongest one carries a real premium.
• 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.
• Rule out cleaning (unnatural brightness, fine parallel scratches) and flat machine doubling before you call anything a variety; see how to read dates and mint marks.

PCGS Price Guide values for 1972 cents (updated September 24, 2026, U.S. dollars, for coins certified by PCGS):

• 1972: $6 in MS63 RD and $16 in MS65 RD.
• 1972-D: $5 in MS63 RD and $18 in MS65 RD.
• 1972-S: $4 in MS63 RD and $16 in MS65 RD.

The 1972 coins that bring real money are the varieties and errors:

• 1972 Doubled Die Obverse (RD): $300 in MS60 up to $23,500 in MS68.
• 1972 DDO FS-104 (RB): $760 in MS60 up to $2,500 in MS65.
• 1972 DDO, FS-106 (BN): $20 in MS60 up to $175 in MS66.
• 1972 DDO, FS-105 (RB): $75 in MS60 up to $125 in MS65.

San Francisco is the lowest-mintage 1972 issue (376,939,108 struck), so it is the mint collectors check first. Guide prices assume a certified coin; an uncertified, worn 1972 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.