1973 Penny Value: Price Chart by Grade & Mint Mark

In 1973 the U.S. Mint struck about 7.59 billion Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 3.73 billion, Denver 3.55 billion, San Francisco 317.2 million. That is 27% more than 1972. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 1973 ranks number 38 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is a mid-range date for availability. The scarcest 1973 issue by mintage is San Francisco (317,177,295); the most common is Philadelphia (3,728,245,000). Within the 1970s, 1973 ranks 7 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 27% from 1972; Denver rose 33% from 1972; San Francisco fell 16% from 1972. Proof cents for collectors: 2,760,339 from San Francisco.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 1973 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 1973 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.

• 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.
• True die doubling is rounded and separated; flat, shelf-like doubling is machine doubling and adds nothing. The mint marks guide has side-by-side examples.

PCGS Price Guide values for 1973 cents (updated September 24, 2026, U.S. dollars, for coins certified by PCGS):

• 1973: $6 in MS63 RD and $15 in MS65 RD.
• 1973-D: $3 in MS63 RD and $16 in MS65 RD.
• 1973-S: $8 in MS63 RD and $18 in MS65 RD.

San Francisco is the lowest-mintage 1973 issue (317,177,295 struck), so it is the mint collectors check first. Guide prices assume a certified coin; an uncertified, worn 1973 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.

A 1973 penny from circulation is worth one cent; value begins only in top uncirculated grades. PCGS Price Guide (September 24, 2026), red coins:

• 1973: $6 in MS63, $15 in MS65, $20 in MS66, $375 in MS67.
• 1973-D: $3 in MS63, $16 in MS65, $32 in MS66, $650 in MS67.
• 1973-S: $8 in MS63, $18 in MS65, $70 in MS66, $625 in MS67.

CoinValueChecker (page updated September 23, 2026) gives similar figures ($13 to $16 in MS65 RD, $340 to $590 in MS67 RD) and reports the record 1973 cent is a 1973-S proof in PR70 Deep Cameo, sold for $12,075 through Heritage. San Francisco struck 2,760,339 proofs that year (Wikipedia); only a flawless, deeply frosted one is worth more than a few dollars.

CoinValueChecker (page updated September 23, 2026) lists these 1973 errors:

• Struck on a dime planchet: up to $26,400. The coin is silver-colored and smaller than a cent.
• Doubled die obverse: $25 to $100.
• Off-center strike: $10 to $100 or more.
• Repunched mint mark: $3 to $30.

The PCGS guide lists no named 1973 variety, so none of these is a famous 'key' error. Weigh any odd coin: a 1973 cent should weigh 3.11 g, and one at about 2.5 g is plated or altered, since zinc cents began only in 1982.

No. A 1973 cent is 95% copper, so its metal is worth a little more than face value, but melting U.S. pennies and nickels has been a crime since the Mint's 2006 regulation, with fines up to $10,000 and up to five years in prison (Wikipedia, Penny). Keep uncirculated red coins for their collector value instead.