2009 Penny Value: Price Chart by Grade & Mint Mark

In 2009 the U.S. Mint struck about 2.37 billion Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 1.11 billion, Denver 1.25 billion, San Francisco 12.0 million. That is 56% fewer than 2008. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 2009 ranks number 62 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is a mid-range date for availability. The scarcest 2009 issue by mintage is San Francisco (11,982,460); the most common is Denver (1,247,600,000). Within the 2000s, 2009 ranks 10 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 57% from 2008; Denver fell 56% from 2008; San Francisco did not strike circulation cents in 2008.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 2009 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 2009 circulation cents are D (Denver) and S (San Francisco).

• 2009 used four different reverse designs for Lincoln's 200th birthday: the log cabin, young Lincoln reading, Lincoln in front of the Illinois capitol, and the unfinished Capitol dome. Circulation coins are zinc; the collector sets were struck in the original 95% copper alloy.
• 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 2009 cents (updated September 24, 2026, U.S. dollars, for coins certified by PCGS):

The 2009 coins that bring real money are the varieties and errors:

• 2009-D Lincoln-Presidency (RD): $7 in MS63 up to $6,000 in MS68.
• 2009 Lincoln-Early Childhood (RD): $7 in MS63 up to $5,000 in MS68.
• 2009 Lincoln-Formative Years (RD): $7 in MS63 up to $3,500 in MS68.
• 2009-D Lincoln-Formative Years (RD): $5 in MS63 up to $2,650 in grade 69.

San Francisco is the lowest-mintage 2009 issue (11,982,460 struck), so it is the mint collectors check first. Guide prices assume a certified coin; an uncertified, worn 2009 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.