2000 D Lincoln Penny

Notes: There are a few key points to remember for the 2000 Lincoln Cent.

Key Points to Remember

1. 10 million pennies issued inside Cheerios boxes.
2. Wide AM error known as FS-101 on PCGS graded coins is the key upgrade besides color
3. RD - Red in color 2001 1c coins are worth more than those that are red brown.
4. Many errors known off center, broadstruck, ect.
5. Minted at Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco Mints
6. If no mint mark present they are from Philadelphia
7. Proofs were issue in low numbers from San Francisco mint.

2000 Cent Help Video

2000 P Cheerios Cent

A large majority of the higher end sales for this coin are Cheerios Cent coins that were included as promotional items in Cheerios cereal boxes. In 2000 Cheerios included a stated 10 million sealed 2000 P Lincoln Cents in their boxes, the majority of these coins were then opened and most likely mixed into the general population, being spent as face value.

It's also important to note that these "Cheerios Cents" are no different than all the other 5.5 billion 2000 Lincoln Cents minted this year. Why then do a majority of sales for the 2000 P RD cents consist of Cheerios cents? It's simply because they were sealed by Cheerios before they entered the general population, and people saved them as a memento in a drawer or cabinet somewhere for 20 years, leaving them in uncirculated pristine condition.

This promotional piece of numismatic history was also paired with the release of the 2000 Sacagawea Dollar. Meaning the less important 1c penny was quickly discarded for the new shiny goldish looking one dollar coin.

That being said, a MS-68 RD Cheerios cent was sold on Mar 27, 2024 at Stack's Bowers Auction House for $1,560.

If you have been coin collecting long you've likely seen these for sale somewhere. Not all of them are valuable, you can usually pick them up in their original packaging for anywhere between $6 and $20.

If however you are good at grading coins by eye, you might be able to make a decent profit by finding one of these at a flea market, yard sale, or pawn shop. Somewhere possibly mixed amongst the beanie babies and happy meal toys, is a shiny RD mint state Cheerios coin that will help you make your next car payment.

What about the WIDE AM 2000 Cent?

The FS-101 WIDE AM 2000 cent that you keep hearing about is detailed below in the image. Click the image to see an even more detailed and enlarged image.

As with every year there are a few error coins to be aware of.

Die Capped $50-$250

Off Center Strike $20-$100

Struck on 2000 New Hampshire 25C $19,200

This error recently sold for nearly $20,000 making it the most valuable we are aware of. There are likely many more errors like this out there in wild.

Struck on 10c Dime $800-$2,000

This error occurred when a dime that was already minted was overstruck by a 2000 Lincoln cent die.

How much is a 2000 D Lincoln Penny worth?

In Average Circulated (AC) condition it's worth around 25 cents, one in certified mint state (MS+) condition could bring as much as $40 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 2000, 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.