1986 Lincoln Penny Value: How Much Is It Worth?

1986 Lincoln Penny Overview

Interestingly, the 1986 penny has two designers. Victor David Brenner, who designed the original obverse, and Frank Gasparro, who created the Memorial reverse design.

a 1986 penny featuring the president and the Memorial building.

Obverse: A right-facing bust of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. The inscription "IN GOD WE TRUST" is above Lincoln’s head. The word "LIBERTY" is to the left of Lincoln. The year "1986" is to the right of Lincoln.

Reverse: The Lincoln Memorial, a design used on the penny from 1959 to 2008. You'll find the inscription "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" along the top edge, and "E PLURIBUS UNUM" above the memorial. The denomination "ONE CENT" is below the memorial.

The main characteristics of the 1986 Lincoln cent
Country	United States
Years of Minting	1959-2008 (Memorial reverse)
Type:	Standard circulation
Shape:	Round
Composition and metal content	Bronze (95% Copper, 5% Zinc)
Diameter	19 mm
Weight	3.11 grams
The Mints	United States Mint of Denver, United States Mint of Philadelphia, United States Mint of San Francisco

1986 Penny Varieties

The 1986 Lincoln cent comes in three main mint mark varieties, depending on where it was struck:

No Mint Mark (Philadelphia Mint)
"D" Mint Mark (Denver Mint)
"S" Mint Mark (San Francisco Mint)

1986 Penny No Mint Mark Value

How to identify: No mint mark on the obverse under the date.

Mintage: 4,491,395,493

Estimated Value: 1¢ to $1 in circulated condition.

1986 no mint mark penny is the most common variety.

1986 D Penny Value

How to identify: There should be a “D” mint mark under the date on the obverse.

Mintage: 4,442,866,698.

Estimated Value: 1¢ to $1 in circulated condition.

1986 S Penny Value

How to identify: There should be a “D” mint mark under the date on the obverse.

Mintage: 3,792,233.

Estimated Value: $5 – $14+.

The San Francisco mint made proof coins exclusively, intended for collecting and not for circulation. This explains a much smaller mintage.

1986 Penny Error List with Pictures

If you look at the rare penny list, most of the examples have some kind of coin error. Such errors make a coin more valuable, so it's important to be on the lookout for them.

Let’s see some of the most important errors for this kind of coin.

Off-Centre Strike

How to identify: Part of the design is missing. A portion of the blank planchet (the flat coin disc) may be visible.

Estimated Value: $20 – $50+.

Error Cause: The planchet shifted out of position before being struck.

Repunched Mint Mark

a 1986 penny with a repunched "D" mint mark.

How to identify: There's a second mint mark under or around the first one.

Estimated Value: $10 – $50+.

Error Cause: The punch did not align perfectly when applied more than once, resulting in visible doubling, shadowing, or separation.

This error is exclusive to coins that have mint marks. Considering that S-pennies were made with extra care, this error is realistic only for D-pennies, and often appears on the 1986 D penny error list with pictures.

Double Die

How to identify: Look for doubling on these areas like “LIBERTY”, “IN GOD WE TRUST”, and the date ("1986").

Estimated Value: $30 – $100+.

Error Cause: The hub impresses the design twice, and slightly misaligned, the die will have a doubled image, which is then transferred to every coin it strikes.

Double dies are a rare and valuable error. Barely any examples of this coin have that error documented.

Penny Grading

Grading is instrumental to determining the value of a piece. The better the state, the higher the price.

Grade	Abbreviation	Description
Poor	P-1	Barely identifiable, heavily worn.
Fair	FR-2	Very heavily worn, details mostly gone.
About Good	AG-3	Outline visible, but very flat.
Good	G-4	Lincoln and date visible, rims worn smooth.
Very Good	VG-8	More detail in Lincoln, but very worn.
Fine	F-12	Moderate wear, major details visible.
Very Fine	VF-20	Moderate wear with clear details in hair and face.
Extremely Fine	EF-40	Light wear, sharp details.
About Uncirculated	AU-50 to AU-58	Slight traces of wear on high points.
Mint State	MS-60 to MS-70	No wear; graded by luster, strike, and marks.
Proof	PR-60 to PR-70	Mirror surface, struck for collectors.

1986 Penny Value

This table will provide the general values for this coin throughout all the mint marks.

Mint Mark	Circulated Value	Uncirculated Value (MS-60 to MS-67 RD)	Proof Value (PR-65 to PR-70 DCAM)
No Mint Mark	1¢ (face value)	$1 – $40+	N/A
D	1¢ (face value)	$1 – $30+	N/A
S	–	–	$5 – $14+

As you can see, the value, generally, is not very high. Moistly due to a very big mintage and copper base. Most copper pieces have a low price. The only exception could be red penny value, which is high ($1000+).

Coin ID Scanner

Coin ID Scanner is a free mobile app for iPhone and Android that uses AI to recognize all kinds of coins.

When you scan a collectible, the app gives you its country, denomination, minting info, composition, and historical background. And the app has such info on more than 150,000 coins.

The platform also has neat additional functions like collection management tools and a built-in “AI Consultant” for user questions.

Interested in the Coin ID Scanner? Download it on your device and try it.

FAQs

Is There a 1986 Wide AM Penny?

There is no known 1986 penny wide AM example. The wide AM varieties only apply to coins from 1992 to 2000, specifically on coins with the Lincoln Memorial reverse (like the 1986), but not in 1986 itself. As for the value, the 1999 Wide AM Penny could be $1,000+.

Is There A 1986 Silver Penny?

There is no official 1986 silver penny produced by the U.S. Mint. Starting in 1982, U.S. pennies were made of zinc with a thin copper plating. Silver designs, like the 1947 Roosevelt dime, were switched to copper. Just in case, the 1986 D silver penny value also doesn't exist.

Is There a 1986 Steel Penny?

There were no steel pennies in 1986. The only official steel Lincoln cents were made in 1943 during World War II, the 1943 silver penny. Funnily, they were called “silver” due to the color and shine, not the material.

1986 Lincoln Penny: Value and Error Guide

Contents:

1986 Lincoln Penny Overview