2001 Penny Value: Price Chart by Grade & Mint Mark

In 2001 the U.S. Mint struck about 10.33 billion Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 4.96 billion, Denver 5.37 billion. That is 28% fewer than 2000. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 2001 ranks number 16 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is one of the most common dates in the series. The scarcest 2001 issue by mintage is Philadelphia (4,959,600,000); the most common is Denver (5,374,990,000). Within the 2000s, 2001 ranks 2 of 10 years for mintage; the decade's high was 2000 (14.28 billion) and its low was 2009 (2.37 billion). Mint by mint: Philadelphia fell 10% from 2000; Denver fell 39% from 2000. Proof cents for collectors: 3,184,606 from San Francisco.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 2001 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 2001 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.
• Before anything else, confirm the date and mint mark are fully readable and that the surfaces have not been cleaned; the dates and mint marks guide shows what cleaning and machine doubling look like.

PCGS Price Guide values for 2001 cents (updated September 24, 2026, U.S. dollars, for coins certified by PCGS):

• 2001: $6 in MS63 RD and $10 in MS65 RD.
• 2001-D: $6 in MS63 RD and $10 in MS65 RD.

Philadelphia is the lowest-mintage 2001 issue (4,959,600,000 struck), so it is the mint collectors check first. Guide prices assume a certified coin; an uncertified, worn 2001 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.