Combine top-graded, eye-appealing coins and an always-popular series like the Lincoln cent and one has a recipe for strong prices.

GreatCollections has had good luck with high-end Professional Coin Grading Service certified Lincoln cents in its recent auctions, most notably in a PCGS MS-67 red 1944-D/S Lincoln cent that sold for $38,812.50 on Oct. 14. The variety, which is visible to the unaided eye, occurred when a Denver Mint mark was repunched over the San Francisco mark in the die. 

Inside Coin World: Spotlight on 1839 Seated Liberty half dollars: Content exclusive to this week’s print issue includes a look at the two subtypes of 1839 Seated Liberty half dollar and a commemorative coin program collectors didn’t want.

While the 1944-D/S cent is a coveted variety in the series, the 1949 Lincoln cent is not at all rare, with a large mintage of 217,775,000. Typical Mint State representatives are still available in 50-coin roll quantities. PCGS has graded 623 in MS-66 red, and these sell for around $50 to $70 each. There are 50 PCGS MS-67 red examples, including one that brought $1,020 at a recent Stack’s Bowers Galleries auction.

A single 1949 Lincoln cent has been graded MS-67+ red at PCGS and this sole survivor sold for $10,968.75 at an Oct. 7 GreatCollections auction, where three bidders chased it past the $10,000 level.

Connect with Coin World:  

Sign up for our free eNewsletter
Like us on Facebook  
Follow us on Twitter