1996 Penny Value: Price Chart by Grade & Mint Mark

In 1996 the U.S. Mint struck about 13.12 billion Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 6.61 billion, Denver 6.51 billion. That is 3% fewer than 1995. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 1996 ranks number 7 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is one of the most common dates in the series. The scarcest 1996 issue by mintage is Denver (6,510,795,000); the most common is Philadelphia (6,612,465,000). Within the 1990s, 1996 ranks 3 of 10 years for mintage; the decade's high was 1994 (13.63 billion) and its low was 1992 (9.10 billion). Mint by mint: Philadelphia rose 3% from 1995; Denver fell 9% from 1995. Proof cents for collectors: 2,525,265 from San Francisco.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 1996 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 1996 circulation cents are D (Denver). Proof cents carry an S and have mirror-like fields; they came from collector sets, not from circulation.

• 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.
• 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 1996 cents (updated September 24, 2026, U.S. dollars, for coins certified by PCGS):

• 1996: $6 in MS63 RD and $10 in MS65 RD.
• 1996-D: $6 in MS63 RD and $10 in MS65 RD.

Denver is the lowest-mintage 1996 issue (6,510,795,000 struck), so it is the mint collectors check first. Guide prices assume a certified coin; an uncertified, worn 1996 cent usually sells for less than the lowest figure above, and most circulated zinc cents are worth 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.