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1961 Lincoln Cent Date Guide

Memorial cents in the Kennedy era

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1961 overview Mintage, history, and notes for this year's cents

Philadelphia (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
753,345,000
Mintage Ranking for Type
(109 of 126)

Denver (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
1,753,266,700
Mintage Ranking for Type
(92 of 126)

Philadelphia (PR)

Mintage
3,028,244
Mintage Ranking for Type
(33 of 54)

1961 in history

1961 in history
  • Lincoln Memorial cents circulated as John F. Kennedy took office promising a new generation of leadership.
  • Alan Shepard became the first American in space on a suborbital Mercury flight in May.
  • The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba failed in April, embarrassing the new administration.
  • East Germany began building the Berlin Wall in August, dividing the city for nearly three decades.
  • The Peace Corps was established to send American volunteers to developing nations.
  • Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union became the first human to orbit Earth in April.
  • The 23rd Amendment gave District of Columbia residents the right to vote in presidential elections.
  • IBM introduced the Selectric typewriter with its distinctive golf-ball print element.

1961 Lincoln cent year notes

For the third year in a row cent production increased at the Mint. With just over 2.5 billion cents produced, there is no shortage of 1961 cents. Uncirculated rolls and bags are plentiful, but expect a number of them to be dull or spotted from poor storage. Very late die state coins are also quite common, especially for Denver minted cents. Proof set production topped 3 million sets this year, but expect full cameo strikes to be rather scarce. Full rolls of 1961 proof cents are easy to obtain for usually under $20 per roll.

Past listings of large and small date cents for 1961 have been disproved as a result of die polishing. Discount any differences in thickness and apparent size of the digits of the date on this year's cents, as they are the result of die over polishing to remove clash marks. All 1961-cent hubs were made with the same design.

Doubled dies are typically minor this year, except for proof issues. Doubled eyelids, bar-L cents, and minor doubling in LIBERTY tend to make up the majority of doubled dies for the business strike cents, and most of the known examples are on Philadelphia minted coins. As for proofs, some really nice doubled die reverses have been reported, but very few obverse doubled dies are known.

Master die doubling exists again this year. It shows as minor doubling toward the center of the design in GOD of the motto. This doubling is sometimes combined with other doubling, so be mindful of that. Do not discount every coin with this doubling as master die doubling only.

Repunched mintmarks are numerous again this year, although the number of different dies reported is half that of 1960, and many of them are rather minor. Quite a number of 1961 RPMs are impressive, however, but only one is as impressive as the nicest ones from 1960. That one is a D over a horizontal D punch that is rotated nearly 90 degrees clockwise. This RPM is considered somewhat common, but because it is unusual in nature it typically brings $10-$15 in uncirculated grades.

Die cracks and small die breaks are common this year as well, with many of them on the head, in LIBERTY, and on either side of the memorial building on the reverse. These have typically very little collector interest and do not warrant any premium value.

Although mintmark varieties are not as numerous as last year, they are still very easy to find in rolls. Doubled dies are a bit scarcer, but they also tend to show up with minimal effort. Taking into account the inexpensive prices for rolls and bags, 1961 offers a nice choice for variety hunters.


Images/Mintage Mint issues and coin images for 1961

Philadelphia (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
753,345,000
Mintage Ranking for Type
(109 of 126)

Denver (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
1,753,266,700
Mintage Ranking for Type
(92 of 126)

Philadelphia (PR)

Mintage
3,028,244
Mintage Ranking for Type
(33 of 54)
1961 in history What else was happening that year
1961 in history
  • Lincoln Memorial cents circulated as John F. Kennedy took office promising a new generation of leadership.
  • Alan Shepard became the first American in space on a suborbital Mercury flight in May.
  • The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba failed in April, embarrassing the new administration.
  • East Germany began building the Berlin Wall in August, dividing the city for nearly three decades.
  • The Peace Corps was established to send American volunteers to developing nations.
  • Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union became the first human to orbit Earth in April.
  • The 23rd Amendment gave District of Columbia residents the right to vote in presidential elections.
  • IBM introduced the Selectric typewriter with its distinctive golf-ball print element.
1961 cent notes Collector notes for this year's Lincoln cents

For the third year in a row cent production increased at the Mint. With just over 2.5 billion cents produced, there is no shortage of 1961 cents. Uncirculated rolls and bags are plentiful, but expect a number of them to be dull or spotted from poor storage. Very late die state coins are also quite common, especially for Denver minted cents. Proof set production topped 3 million sets this year, but expect full cameo strikes to be rather scarce. Full rolls of 1961 proof cents are easy to obtain for usually under $20 per roll.

Past listings of large and small date cents for 1961 have been disproved as a result of die polishing. Discount any differences in thickness and apparent size of the digits of the date on this year's cents, as they are the result of die over polishing to remove clash marks. All 1961-cent hubs were made with the same design.

Doubled dies are typically minor this year, except for proof issues. Doubled eyelids, bar-L cents, and minor doubling in LIBERTY tend to make up the majority of doubled dies for the business strike cents, and most of the known examples are on Philadelphia minted coins. As for proofs, some really nice doubled die reverses have been reported, but very few obverse doubled dies are known.

Master die doubling exists again this year. It shows as minor doubling toward the center of the design in GOD of the motto. This doubling is sometimes combined with other doubling, so be mindful of that. Do not discount every coin with this doubling as master die doubling only.

Repunched mintmarks are numerous again this year, although the number of different dies reported is half that of 1960, and many of them are rather minor. Quite a number of 1961 RPMs are impressive, however, but only one is as impressive as the nicest ones from 1960. That one is a D over a horizontal D punch that is rotated nearly 90 degrees clockwise. This RPM is considered somewhat common, but because it is unusual in nature it typically brings $10-$15 in uncirculated grades.

Die cracks and small die breaks are common this year as well, with many of them on the head, in LIBERTY, and on either side of the memorial building on the reverse. These have typically very little collector interest and do not warrant any premium value.

Although mintmark varieties are not as numerous as last year, they are still very easy to find in rolls. Doubled dies are a bit scarcer, but they also tend to show up with minimal effort. Taking into account the inexpensive prices for rolls and bags, 1961 offers a nice choice for variety hunters.


Design types Obverse and reverse engravings in use for 1961

Obverse design types (ODT)

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 1961 Lincoln cents

See the mint mark types reference.

Typical values Series price guide for regular-issue 1961 cents

1961 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 AU50
1961-P BN 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0
1961-P RB
1961-P RD
1961-D BN 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0
1961-D RB
1961-D RD
Issue G4 VG8 F12 VF20 EF40 AU50
1961-P BN 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0
1961-P RB
1961-P RD
1961-D BN 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0
1961-D RB
1961-D RD

Proof

Issue PR60 PR61 PR62 PR63
1961-P RB 0.75 1.45 1.80 2.80
1961-P RD 1 2
1961-P CAM
1961-P DCAM
Issue PR60 PR61 PR62 PR63
1961-P RB 0.75 1.45 1.80 2.80
1961-P RD 1 2
1961-P CAM
1961-P DCAM
Die varieties in the catalog Attributed 1961 dies by mint and variety type

Our attribution catalog for 1961—doubled dies, repunched mint marks, and related varieties documented by die number. This is specialist research beyond regular issue Lincoln cents.

Search all 1961 dies Variety value guide for 1961

Catalogued dies for 1961

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 DR Doubled Die Reverse MM Repunched Mint Mark Total
Philadelphia (P) 4 1 N/A 5
Denver (D) 3 2 139 144
All mints 7 3 139 149
Variety plate coin videos Roll-reveal videos that sourced plate coins for 1961 dies

Videos on our YouTube channel that show when the plate coins for these dies were found in CopperCoins roll reveal videos.

See all 44 videos

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