The Lincoln Cent represents the longest continuously running series within United States coinage. While the reverse design has seen some changes at different milestones, the obverse design featuring a bust of Abraham Lincoln by Victor D. Brenner has remained in place for more than 100 years. During this period, the mintages for individual issues have varied widely.
As might be expected, the lower mintage key date coins occur within the early portion of the series when the coins carried the wheat ears reverse design. The primary key date is the 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent, which carried a mintage of 484,000 pieces. Additional semi-key date issues which saw low mintages include the 1914-D at 1,193,000 pieces and the 1931-S at 866,000 pieces.
Mintage levels rose to new heights with the start of the Lincoln Memorial reverse design. During this period, production primarily took place at the Philadelphia and Denver Mint facilities where mintages typically ran into the billions of pieces. In 1982, when the composition was changed from primarily copper to copper coated zinc, the Philadelphia Mint struck more than 10 billion pieces.
In 2009, mintage levels fell to their lowest levels in decades due to the economic conditions and the fact that production was split across four different reverse designs. Levels have since rebounded, with the new Union Shield reverse design issues once again ranging into the billions of pieces.
In 2019, the United States Mint included a 2019-W Lincoln Cent with an uncirculated finish as a premium along with the 2019 Uncirculated Coin Set. The mintage of 346,146 is based on the last known sales for the set.
Lincoln Wheat Cent Mintages
| 1909 | 72,702,618 |
| 1909 VDB | 27,995,000 |
| 1909-S | 1,825,000 |
| 1909-S VDB | 484,000 |
| 1910 | 146,801,218 |
| 1910-S | 6,045,000 |
| 1911 | 101,177,787 |
| 1911-D | 12,672,000 |
| 1911-S | 4,026,000 |
| 1912 | 68,153,060 |
| 1912-D | 10,411,000 |
| 1912-S | 4,431,000 |
| 1913 | 76,532,352 |
| 1913-D | 15,804,000 |
| 1913-S | 6,101,000 |
| 1914 | 75,238,432 |
| 1914-D | 1,193,000 |
| 1914-S | 4,137,000 |
| 1915 | 29,092,120 |
| 1915-D | 22,050,000 |
| 1915-S | 4,833,000 |
| 1916 | 131,833,677 |
| 1916-D | 35,956,000 |
| 1916-S | 22,510,000 |
| 1917 | 196,429,785 |
| 1917-D | 55,120,000 |
| 1917-S | 32,620,000 |
| 1918 | 288,104,634 |
| 1918-D | 47,830,000 |
| 1918-S | 34,680,000 |
| 1919 | 392,021,000 |
| 1919-D | 57,154,000 |
| 1919-S | 139,760,000 |
| 1920 | 310,165,000 |
| 1920-D | 49,280,000 |
| 1920-S | 46,220,000 |
| 1921 | 39,157,000 |
| 1921-S | 15,274,000 |
| 1922-D | 7,160,000 |
| 1923 | 74,723,000 |
| 1923-S | 8,700,000 |
| 1924 | 75,178,000 |
| 1924-D | 2,520,000 |
| 1924-S | 11,696,000 |
| 1925 | 139,949,000 |
| 1925-D | 22,580,000 |
| 1925-S | 26,380,000 |
| 1926 | 157,088,000 |
| 1926-D | 28,020,000 |
| 1926-S | 4,550,000 |
| 1927 | 144,440,000 |
| 1927-D | 27,170,000 |
| 1927-S | 14,276,000 |
| 1928 | 134,116,000 |
| 1928-D | 31,170,000 |
| 1928-S | 17,266,000 |
| 1929 | 185,262,000 |
| 1929-D | 41,730,000 |
| 1929-S | 50,148,000 |
| 1930 | 157,415,000 |
| 1930-D | 40,100,000 |
| 1930-S | 24,286,000 |
| 1931 | 19,396,000 |
| 1931-D | 4,480,000 |
| 1931-S | 866,000 |
| 1932 | 9,062,000 |
| 1932-D | 10,500,000 |
| 1933 | 14,360,000 |
| 1933-D | 6,200,000 |
| 1934 | 219,080,000 |
| 1934-D | 28,446,000 |
| 1935 | 245,388,000 |
| 1935-D | 47,000,000 |
| 1935-S | 38,702,000 |
| 1936 | 309,632,000 |
| 1936-D | 40,620,000 |
| 1936-S | 29,130,000 |
| 1937 | 309,170,000 |
| 1937-D | 50,430,000 |
| 1937-S | 34,500,000 |
| 1938 | 156,682,000 |
| 1938-D | 20,010,000 |
| 1938-S | 15,180,000 |
| 1939 | 316,466,000 |
| 1939-D | 15,160,000 |
| 1939-S | 52,070,000 |
| 1940 | 586,810,000 |
| 1940-D | 81,390,000 |
| 1940-S | 112,940,000 |
| 1941 | 887,018,000 |
| 1941-D | 128,700,000 |
| 1941-S | 92,360,000 |
| 1942 | 657,796,000 |
| 1942-D | 206,698,000 |
| 1942-S | 85,590,000 |
| 1943 (Steel Cent) | 684,628,670 |
| 1943-D (Steel Cent) | 217,660,000 |
| 1943-S (Steel Cent) | 191,550,000 |
| 1944 | 1,435,400,000 |
| 1944-D | 430,578,000 |
| 1944-S | 282,760,000 |
| 1945 | 1,040,515,000 |
| 1945-D | 266,268,000 |
| 1945-S | 181,770,000 |
| 1946 | 991,655,000 |
| 1946-D | 315,690,000 |
| 1946-S | 198,100,000 |
| 1947 | 190,555,000 |
| 1947-D | 194,750,000 |
| 1947-S | 99,000,000 |
| 1948 | 317,570,000 |
| 1948-D | 172,637,500 |
| 1948-S | 81,735,000 |
| 1949 | 217,775,000 |
| 1949-D | 153,132,500 |
| 1949-S | 64,290,000 |
| 1950 | 272,635,000 |
| 1950-D | 334,950,000 |
| 1950-S | 118,505,000 |
| 1951 | 284,576,000 |
| 1951-D | 625,355,000 |
| 1951-S | 136,010,000 |
| 1952 | 186,775,000 |
| 1952-D | 746,130,000 |
| 1952-S | 137,800,004 |
| 1953 | 256,755,000 |
| 1953-D | 700,515,000 |
| 1953-S | 181,835,000 |
| 1954 | 71,640,050 |
| 1954-D | 251,552,500 |
| 1954-S | 96,190,000 |
| 1955 | 330,958,200 |
| 1955-D | 563,257,500 |
| 1955-S | 44,610,000 |
| 1956 | 420,745,000 |
| 1956-D | 1,098,201,100 |
| 1957 | 282,540,000 |
| 1957-D | 1,051,342,000 |
| 1958 | 252,525,000 |
| 1958-D | 800,953,300 |
Lincoln Memorial Cent Mintages
| 1959 | 609,715,000 |
| 1959-D | 1,279,760,000 |
| 1960 | 586,405,000 |
| 1960-D | 1,580,884,000 |
| 1961 | 753,345,000 |
| 1961-D | 1,753,266,700 |
| 1962 | 606,045,000 |
| 1962-D | 1,793,148,140 |
| 1963 | 754,110,000 |
| 1963-D | 1,774,020,400 |
| 1964 | 2,648,575,000 |
| 1964-D | 3,799,071,500 |
| 1965 | 1,497,224,900 |
| 1966 | 2,188,147,783 |
| 1967 | 3,048,667,100 |
| 1968 | 1,707,880,970 |
| 1968-D | 2,886,269,600 |
| 1968-S | 258,270,001 |
| 1969 | 1,136,910,000 |
| 1969-D | 4,002,832,200 |
| 1969-S | 547,309,631 |
| 1970 | 1,898,315,000 |
| 1970-D | 2,891,438,900 |
| 1970-S | 693,192,814 |
| 1971 | 1,919,490,000 |
| 1971-D | 2,911,045,600 |
| 1971-S | 525,133,459 |
| 1972 | 2,933,255,000 |
| 1972-D | 2,665,071,400 |
| 1972-S | 376,939,108 |
| 1973 | 3,728,245,000 |
| 1973-D | 3,549,576,588 |
| 1973-S | 317,177,295 |
| 1974 | 4,232,140,523 |
| 1974-D | 4,235,098,000 |
| 1974-S | 409,426,660 |
| 1975 | 5,451,476,142 |
| 1975-D | 4,505,275,300 |
| 1976 | 4,674,292,426 |
| 1976-D | 4,221,592,455 |
| 1977 | 4,469,930,000 |
| 1977-D | 4,194,062,300 |
| 1978 | 5,558,605,000 |
| 1978-D | 4,280,233,400 |
| 1979 | 6,018,515,000 |
| 1979-D | 4,139,357,254 |
| 1980 | 7,414,705,000 |
| 1980-D | 5,140,098,660 |
| 1981 | 7,491,750,000 |
| 1981-D | 5,373,235,677 |
| 1982 | 10,712,525,000 |
| 1982-D | 6,012,979,368 |
| 1983 | 7,752,355,000 |
| 1983-D | 6,467,199,428 |
| 1984 | 8,151,079,000 |
| 1984-D | 5,569,238,906 |
| 1985 | 5,648,489,887 |
| 1985-D | 5,287,399,926 |
| 1986 | 4,491,395,493 |
| 1986-D | 4,442,866,698 |
| 1987 | 4,682,466,931 |
| 1987-D | 4,879,389,514 |
| 1988 | 6,092,810,000 |
| 1988-D | 5,253,740,443 |
| 1989 | 7,261,535,000 |
| 1989-D | 5,345,467,111 |
| 1990 | 6,851,765,000 |
| 1990-D | 4,922,894,533 |
| 1991 | 5,165,940,000 |
| 1991-D | 4,158,442,076 |
| 1992 | 4,648,905,000 |
| 1992-D | 4,448,673,300 |
| 1993 | 5,684,705,000 |
| 1993-D | 6,426,650,571 |
| 1994 | 6,500,850,000 |
| 1994-D | 7,131,765,000 |
| 1995 | 6,411,400,000 |
| 1995-D | 7,128,560,000 |
| 1996 | 6,612,465,000 |
| 1996-D | 6,510,795,000 |
| 1997 | 4,622,800,000 |
| 1997-D | 4,576,555,000 |
| 1998 | 5,032,155,000 |
| 1998-D | 5,225,353,500 |
| 1999 | 5,237,600,000 |
| 1999-D | 6,360,065,000 |
| 2000 | 5,503,200,000 |
| 2000-D | 8,774,220,000 |
| 2001 | 4,959,600,000 |
| 2001-D | 5,374,990,000 |
| 2002 | 3,260,800,000 |
| 2002-D | 4,028,055,000 |
| 2003 | 3,300,000,000 |
| 2003-D | 3,548,000,000 |
| 2004 | 3,379,600,000 |
| 2004-D | 3,456,400,000 |
| 2005 | 3,935,600,000 |
| 2005-D | 3,764,450,000 |
| 2006 | 4,290,000,000 |
| 2006-D | 3,944,000,000 |
| 2007 | 3,763,400,000 |
| 2007-D | 3,638,800,000 |
| 2008 | 2,596,000,000 |
| 2008-D | 2,849,600,000 |
2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Cent Mintages
| 2009-P Lincoln Cent Birthplace | 284,400,000 |
| 2009-D Lincoln Cent Birthplace | 350,400,000 |
| 2009-P Lincoln Cent Formative Years | 376,000,000 |
| 2009-D Lincoln Cent Formative Years | 363,600,000 |
| 2009-P Lincoln Cent Professional Life | 316,000,000 |
| 2009-D Lincoln Cent Professional Life | 336,000,000 |
| 2009-P Lincoln Cent Presidency | 129,600,000 |
| 2009-D Lincoln Cent Presidency | 198,000,000 |
Union Shield Cent Mintages
| 2010 | 1,963,630,000 |
| 2010-D | 2,047,200,000 |
| 2011 | 2,402,400,000 |
| 2011-D | 2,536,140,000 |
| 2012 | 3,132,000,000 |
| 2012-D | 2,883,200,000 |
| 2013 | 3,750,400,000 |
| 2013-D | 3,319,600,000 |
| 2014 | 3,990,800,000 |
| 2014-D | 4,155,600,000 |
| 2015 | 4,691,300,000 |
| 2015-D | 4,674,000,000 |
| 2016 | 4,698,000,000 |
| 2016-D | 4,420,400,000 |
| 2017-P | 4,361,220,000 |
| 2017-D | 4,272,800,000 |
| 2018 | 4,066,800,000 |
| 2018-D | 3,736,400,000 |
| 2019 | 3,542,800,000 |
| 2019-D | 3,497,600,000 |
| 2019-W | 346,136 |
| 2020 | 3,560,800,000 |
| 2020-D | 4,035,600,000 |
