1986 Penny (Lincoln Cent): Mintage & What to Check

In 1986 the U.S. Mint struck about 8.94 billion Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 4.49 billion, Denver 4.44 billion, San Francisco 3.0 million. That is 18% fewer than 1985. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 1986 ranks number 26 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is one of the most common dates in the series. The scarcest 1986 issue by mintage is San Francisco (3,010,497); the most common is Philadelphia (4,491,395,493). Within the 1980s, 1986 ranks 10 of 10 years for mintage; the decade's high was 1982 (16.73 billion) and its low was 1986 (8.94 billion). Mint by mint: Philadelphia fell 20% from 1985; Denver fell 16% from 1985; San Francisco fell 10% from 1985.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 1986 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 1986 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 1983 onward are copper-plated zinc (about 2.5 g). The plating is thin, so these coins corrode easily: bubbles, pitting or grey spots on a bright coin are damage, not a variety.
• For any 1986 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 1986 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 1986 issue), and the grade (an uncirculated coin with original red colour is a different market from a worn brown one). A normal, circulated 1986 cent from the most common mint is a very common 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.