2003 Penny Value: Price Chart by Grade & Mint Mark

In 2003 the U.S. Mint struck about 6.85 billion Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 3.30 billion, Denver 3.55 billion. That is 6% fewer than 2002. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 2003 ranks number 43 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is a mid-range date for availability. The scarcest 2003 issue by mintage is Philadelphia (3,300,000,000); the most common is Denver (3,548,000,000). Within the 2000s, 2003 ranks 7 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 rose 1% from 2002; Denver fell 12% from 2002. Proof cents for collectors: 3,298,439 from San Francisco.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 2003 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 2003 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.
• True die doubling is rounded and separated; flat, shelf-like doubling is machine doubling and adds nothing. The mint marks guide has side-by-side examples.

PCGS Price Guide values for 2003 cents (updated September 24, 2026, U.S. dollars, for coins certified by PCGS):

• 2003: $7 in MS63 RD and $10 in MS65 RD.
• 2003-D: $5 in MS63 RD and $8 in MS65 RD.

Philadelphia is the lowest-mintage 2003 issue (3,300,000,000 struck), so it is the mint collectors check first. Guide prices assume a certified coin; an uncertified, worn 2003 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.