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1923 Lincoln Cent Date Guide

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1923 overview Mintage, history, and notes for this year's cents

Philadelphia (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
74,723,000
Mintage Ranking for Type
(75 of 140)

San Francisco (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
8,700,000
Mintage Ranking for Type
(125 of 140)

1923 in history

1923 in history
  • Lincoln cents, Buffalo nickels, and silver coins remained everyday money during the economic recovery.
  • President Harding died suddenly in San Francisco on August 2; Vice President Calvin Coolidge succeeded him.
  • The Teapot Dome scandal exposed corrupt federal oil leases and damaged public trust in government.
  • Time magazine published its first issue on March 3.
  • The Hollywood sign was erected in the hills above Los Angeles as an advertisement for a real estate development.
  • Turkey was declared a republic on October 29 after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
  • The first 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race was held in France.
  • Yankee Stadium opened in the Bronx on April 18.

1923 Lincoln cent year notes

There are some years in cents that are completely uneventful, and 1923 is one of them. There is nothing to mention regarding die varieties for this date; none has been reported. As for quality, this year is yet another in a chain of years that typically exhibit a number of problems related to die wear.

Mintage figures support that the Mint was still more concerned with silver dollar production than with Lincoln cent production. Even though far more cents were produced in 1923 than in 1921 and 1922, production was still far less than during the 1918-1920 period.

Denver did not mint any cents in 1923, so production of cents for the entire Western half of the country was left to the ill-equipped San Francisco Mint, which produced just less than 9 million pieces. Because of constraints in equipment and tools, overall quality of coins produced is quite poor. Very late die state coins are much more common than clean, crisp examples.

[Image Insertion: Photos showing obverse and reverse of a 1923-S Lincoln cent]

This is an example of the detail found on typical 1923-S cents. Notice how the obverse appears to grade a low very fine while the reverse details indicate an about good coin. This coin actually grades VF details net Fine because of the scratch on the reverse from STATES to AMERICA. The defect in and around the N of ONE is lamination, caused by impurities in the alloy used to make the planchet. This is rather common for early Lincolns. Photo by author.

Images/Mintage Mint issues and coin images for 1923

Philadelphia (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
74,723,000
Mintage Ranking for Type
(75 of 140)

San Francisco (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
8,700,000
Mintage Ranking for Type
(125 of 140)
1923 in history What else was happening that year
1923 in history
  • Lincoln cents, Buffalo nickels, and silver coins remained everyday money during the economic recovery.
  • President Harding died suddenly in San Francisco on August 2; Vice President Calvin Coolidge succeeded him.
  • The Teapot Dome scandal exposed corrupt federal oil leases and damaged public trust in government.
  • Time magazine published its first issue on March 3.
  • The Hollywood sign was erected in the hills above Los Angeles as an advertisement for a real estate development.
  • Turkey was declared a republic on October 29 after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
  • The first 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race was held in France.
  • Yankee Stadium opened in the Bronx on April 18.
1923 cent notes Collector notes for this year's Lincoln cents

There are some years in cents that are completely uneventful, and 1923 is one of them. There is nothing to mention regarding die varieties for this date; none has been reported. As for quality, this year is yet another in a chain of years that typically exhibit a number of problems related to die wear.

Mintage figures support that the Mint was still more concerned with silver dollar production than with Lincoln cent production. Even though far more cents were produced in 1923 than in 1921 and 1922, production was still far less than during the 1918-1920 period.

Denver did not mint any cents in 1923, so production of cents for the entire Western half of the country was left to the ill-equipped San Francisco Mint, which produced just less than 9 million pieces. Because of constraints in equipment and tools, overall quality of coins produced is quite poor. Very late die state coins are much more common than clean, crisp examples.

[Image Insertion: Photos showing obverse and reverse of a 1923-S Lincoln cent]

This is an example of the detail found on typical 1923-S cents. Notice how the obverse appears to grade a low very fine while the reverse details indicate an about good coin. This coin actually grades VF details net Fine because of the scratch on the reverse from STATES to AMERICA. The defect in and around the N of ONE is lamination, caused by impurities in the alloy used to make the planchet. This is rather common for early Lincolns. Photo by author.

Key Dates & Errors Key dates, valuable errors, and genuine vs fake guidance for 1923

See the list of all key dates and errors in Lincoln cents

Design types Obverse and reverse engravings in use for 1923

Obverse design types (ODT)

  • Flat serif G obverse
    Flat serif G obverse — ODT09 · 1922–1929 · business · 1931–1933 · business · 1935–1955 · business · 1936–1942 · proof · 1950–1955 · proof

Reverse design types (RDT)

See the design types reference. Design types identify engraved designs; when differing designs create collectible alternatives within a year, see Lincoln cent design varieties.

Mint mark types Punch styles used on 1923 Lincoln cents
  • Small-S mint mark
    Small-S — 1917–1921 · business · 1923–1931 · business · 1935–1941 · business

See the mint mark types reference.

Typical values Series price guide for regular-issue 1923 cents

1923 Lincoln cents from the CopperCoins series price guide (August/September 2026 edition) — approximate values only, not offers to buy or sell. Business strikes show separate BN, RB, and RD lines where priced.

Business strike

Issue G4 VG8 F12 VF20 EF40 EF45 AU50
1923-P BN 0.60 0.70 0.85 3.25 6.75 7.60 9.35
1923-P RB
1923-P RD
1923-S BN 3.35 7 9.20 21 56 57 85
1923-S RB
1923-S RD
Issue G4 VG8 F12 VF20 EF40 EF45 AU50
1923-P BN 0.60 0.70 0.85 3.25 6.75 7.60 9.35
1923-P RB
1923-P RD
1923-S BN 3.35 7 9.20 21 56 57 85
1923-S RB
1923-S RD
Die varieties in the catalog Attributed 1923 dies by mint and variety type

Our attribution catalog for 1923—doubled dies, repunched mint marks, and related varieties documented by die number. This is specialist research beyond regular issue Lincoln cents.

Search all 1923 dies Variety value guide for 1923

Catalogued dies for 1923

Number of assigned dies in the CopperCoins catalog, by mint and variety type. Click a count to search that group.

Mint DO Doubled Die Obverse MM Repunched Mint Mark Total
Philadelphia (P) 1 N/A 1
San Francisco (S) 0 1 1
All mints 1 1 2

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