1980 Penny

Notes: When it comes to copper pennies only one color reigns supreme...Red (RD). Coins designated as Red by major grading services like PCGS and NGC will fetch a premium. Those with color Brown Red or RB will be worth slightly less, but still more than those just rated brown.

1980 Penny Basic Facts

D, S, and no mint mark specimans found, pleanty of strange errors, made of copper, not a key date, mass produced.

Copper Penny Color Guide

Are 1980 Pennies Copper?

Pennies minted in 1980 are indeed copper, with the mint making the big change to zinc mid year in 1982.

Are there any 1980 Penny Errors?

Yes there are a few to look out for and they are...

• 1980 DDO / DDR - double die error occur when a die has a duplicate impression. Look for doubled numbers and letters.
• 1980 Struck on Dime Planchet- this one is just like it sounds, a dime planchet was fed into hopper and struck by a penny die.
• Off Center Strikes - When the die and planchet dont align correctly these errors occur.
• Double Struck - same planchet struck twice by the die.
• Clipped Planchet 1980 Penny - This error can visually be described as a cookie cutter error. It literally looks like someone took a curved slice out of the penny.
• Double Denomination on a Struck Dime - A strange and rare error is found this year, double denomination struck. This error occurred when a dime planchet was struck with a dime, and then the dime somehow made its ways into the penny hopper to then later be struck by the penny die. As you might imaging there are variations of this coin, some with front and reverse matching and some with them reversed. ie - a penny head on a dime reverse, or a dime head on a penny head. If you are into errors this one is worth researching more.

Price Chart

Rates listed here refer to professionally graded and slabbed coins. If new to collecting the prices below might not make sense.

Prices below are for coins designated as Red. Red Brown and Brown colors should have their rates reduced.

• Grade AU58 = $4-$6
• Grade MS60 = $4-$4
• Grade MS61 = $4-$6
• Grade MS62 = $5-$8
• Grade MS63 = $6-$10
• Grade MS64 = $11-$19
• Grade MS65 = $15-$25
• Grade MS66 = $26-$44

Is the list above a little overwhelming? If so, take 5 minutes to learn all about Coin Grading.

It's also important to note...Prices are subject to the same supply and demand laws as everything else. Coins sold at the same auction house 10x, would fetch drastically different bids each session. To raise your chances of receiving top dollar read How to Get the Most for your Coins.

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How much is a 1980 Penny worth?

In Average Circulated (AC) condition it's worth around 1 cent, one in certified mint state (MS+) condition could bring as much as $14 at auction. This price does not reference any standard coin grading scale. So when we say Average Circulated, we mean in a similar condition to other coins circulated in 1980, and mint state meaning it is certified MS+ by one of the top coin grading companies. *** [?].

What are your coins really worth?

Use the handy-dandy calculator below to find the real value of any lincoln penny in your collection.

Specs & Design

This coin has a total mass of 2.5 g, a diameter of 19.05 mm, and a thickness of 1.52 mm. It's edge is Smooth, and the coins are composed of 95% Copper Pre 1982, 97.5% Zinc, 2.5% Copper after 1982.

Designer: Victor D. Brenner (obv), Lyndall Bass (rev)

Front (Obverse): The obverse or front of this coin contains the bust of President Lincoln the 16th president of the United States. The words In God We Trust are engraved in an arching manner on the top most portion of this coin. The date is present along with the mint mark. If the mark is missing the coin was issued from the Philadelphia mint. With the exception of 2017 P, the only year to contain a P mint mark to honor the 225th anniversary of the United States Mint.

Back (Reverse): The reverse of this coin has been described as Lincoln Memorial design. Nice clean lines on the steps and buildings are important for a decent grade. The Lincoln Memorial replaced the reverse after the last Wheat Cent was issued in 1958.