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*coins · ‎01-31-2019

Hello, fellow coin collectors! I have been fascinated with coin varieties for a while now, and thought I would share some with you. Maybe this will help someone who is confused with Small Date and Large Date Lincoln cents and of course I always enjoy showing off my coins. 😄

Let's get started. There are small date and large dates of the following Lincoln cents:

1960 & 1960-D

1970-S

1974, 1974-D & 1974-S (this one isn't collected much - I am not going to talk about this one)

1982 & 1982-D

Thanks to the Lincoln Cents Resource because I borrowed some of their ways to tell the differences.

First, I am going to talk about 1960.

Here is how to spot this one:

1) The tail of the 6 in the large date is much longer than on the small date.

2) The top of the 1 in the small date is level with the top of the 9. In the large date the top of the 1 is below the top of the 9.

3) The 0 is perfectly round for the large date. The small date 0 is "skinnier".

There are some ways to spot it. Below are some photos of the coins:

1960 Small date1960 Large Date1960-D Small Date1960-D Large DatePROOF 1960 Small DatePROOF 1960 Large Date

Next is the 1970-S cent. This is probably by far the most difficult to spot.

Here are some ways to spot it:

1) The date (1970) is aligned perfectly even...this can be confusing though, so I recommend checking the other ways too.

2) The tail of the 9 is bent and pointing straight at the 7.

3) LIBERTY is mushy and weak. If you look at my pics below (sorry they aren't the best), you can see this easily.

Here are photos of this variety:

1970-S Small Date1970-S Large DatePROOF 1970-S Large DatePROOF 1970-S Small DateI think this is a CAM or DCAM but it did not get that attribuation. Oh well.

Lastly is the 1982 variety. This one is fairly simple to spot.

The 7 Business Strike Varieties:

1982 Large Date Copper
1982 Large Date Copper plated Zinc
1982 Small Date Copper
1982 Small Date Copper plated Zinc
1982 D Large Date Copper
1982 D Large Date Copper plated Zinc
1982 D Small Date Copper plated Zinc

There is also a 1982-S large date that is copper.

The term copper, bronze and brass are all used interchangeably, but not necessarily correctly,
to describe our cents. I will use the word "copper".    Remember, all cents before 1982 are
solid copper and cents after 1982 are copper-coated zinc. Cents of 1982 are the only ones in
question.
First of all, 1982 cents can be Philadelphia mint (no mintmark) or Denver mint (D mintmark).
Secondly, 1982 cents can be a large date or a small date. One of the best ways to distinguish
is to look at the number "2" in the date.   The large date "2" has a thick, fat base with no
curve. The small date "2" has a delicate base with a slow curve at it's base.
Thirdly, the solid copper cents weigh approximately 3 grams, while the copper-coated zinc
ones weigh 2.5 grams. For this you would need a scale to weigh the difference.

There is also a 1982-D small date copper cent, but there are only a few known and this one is very, very rare. I do not have one. 🙂

Here are photos of all the varieties including the 1982-S proof:

1982 Large Date Copper1982 Small Date Copper1982 Large Date Zinc1982 Small Date Zinc1982-D Large Date Copper1982-D Large Date Zinc1982-D Small Date ZincPROOF 1982-S (copper, large date)Hope this helps someone or increases your knowledge about these coins. I know it really helped me by writing this. 🙂