1997 Penny (Lincoln Cent): Mintage & What to Check

In 1997 the U.S. Mint struck about 9.20 billion Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 4.62 billion, Denver 4.58 billion, San Francisco 2.8 million. That is 30% fewer than 1996. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 1997 ranks number 23 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is one of the most common dates in the series. The scarcest 1997 issue by mintage is San Francisco (2,796,678); the most common is Philadelphia (4,622,800,000). Within the 1990s, 1997 ranks 9 of 10 years for mintage; the decade's high was 1994 (13.64 billion) and its low was 1992 (9.10 billion). Mint by mint: Philadelphia fell 30% from 1996; Denver fell 30% from 1996; San Francisco rose 11% from 1996.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 1997 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 1997 circulation cents are D (Denver) and S (San Francisco).

• 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 1997 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 1997 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 1997 issue), and the grade (an uncirculated coin with original red colour is a different market from a worn brown one). A normal, circulated 1997 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.