1981 Penny Value: Price Chart by Grade & Mint Mark

In 1981 the U.S. Mint struck about 12.87 billion Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 7.49 billion, Denver 5.37 billion, San Francisco 4.1 million. That is 3% more than 1980. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 1981 ranks number 8 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is one of the most common dates in the series. The scarcest 1981 issue by mintage is San Francisco (4,063,083); the most common is Philadelphia (7,491,750,000). Within the 1980s, 1981 ranks 4 of 10 years for mintage; the decade's high was 1982 (16.73 billion) and its low was 1986 (8.93 billion). Mint by mint: Philadelphia rose 61% from 1980; Denver rose 5% from 1980; San Francisco fell 100% from 1980.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 1981 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 1981 circulation cents are D (Denver) and S (San Francisco).

• Between 1974 and 1986 the West Point facility also struck cents, without any mint mark. A cent from these years with no mint mark can therefore be from Philadelphia or West Point; the two cannot be told apart, and neither is scarce.
• 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 1981 cents (updated September 24, 2026, U.S. dollars, for coins certified by PCGS):

• 1981: $4 in MS63 RD and $14 in MS65 RD.
• 1981-D: $6 in MS63 RD and $20 in MS65 RD.

San Francisco is the lowest-mintage 1981 issue (4,063,083 struck), so it is the mint collectors check first. Guide prices assume a certified coin; an uncertified, worn 1981 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.