1982 Lincoln Cent Date Guide

The Lincoln cent went through two separate transitions during 1982. Its composition changed from the familiar copper-alloy cent to a copper-plated zinc cent, while the obverse was modified from the large-date design to the small-date design. Because the two changes did not take place at exactly the same time, several different combinations were produced during the year.

The authority for changing the cent’s composition did not originate in 1982. On October 11, 1974, President Gerald Ford approved Public Law 93-441. This law authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe a different mixture of copper and zinc whenever necessary to assure an adequate supply of cents. That authority eventually allowed the Mint to replace the traditional alloy when rising copper costs again became a concern. The law was later incorporated into Title 31 of the United States Code.

The earlier 1982 cents were struck from an alloy of 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc. They have a standard weight of approximately 3.11 grams. During the year, the Mint began using planchets consisting of 97.5 percent zinc with a thin outer plating comprising 2.5 percent copper. These later cents weigh approximately 2.50 grams. The Mint identifies rising copper prices as the reason for the change.

There was not a separate act of Congress ordering the change from the large date to the small date. That was a modification made within the Mint’s coin-production process. The small-date obverse has thinner and differently shaped date digits, most noticeably in the shape of the 2 and the relative openings of the 8.

Philadelphia produced large- and small-date cents in both copper-alloy and copper-plated zinc compositions. Denver produced the large date in both compositions and the small date on the zinc planchet. The normal 1982-D small-date issue was therefore zinc, although a very small number of 1982-D small-date cents struck on the heavier copper-alloy planchet have since been authenticated. Color alone is not a dependable means of identifying the composition; weighing the coin is the most reliable first test.

There are also two doubled dies of special note. The 1982-P 1DO-002 is a large-date copper doubled-die obverse showing a visible spread on GOD WE TRUST. The much scarcer 1982-P 1DR-001 is a small-date zinc doubled-die reverse with strong doubling across the reverse design. Several minor 1982-D repunched mint marks are also known, although most show relatively limited separation and require careful attention to mint-mark position for proper attribution.

Color alone cannot reliably identify the composition. Brass and copper-plated zinc cents can look very similar, especially after circulation or environmental exposure. The sound they make when dropped onto a wooden table or countertop will tell you for sure. If the coin has a bell-like ring when dropped, it's copper. If it drops with a dead thud, it's zinc. The zinc cents also are notorious for having air bubbles under the copper plating which causes swells and bumps of every size, and the copper cents never have this issue. Weight is one of the the most dependable first test: about 3.11 grams indicates the brass composition, while about 2.50 grams indicates copper-plated zinc.

The result of these overlapping changes is a year that cannot be represented by a single Philadelphia cent and a single Denver cent. Collecting 1982 by design, composition and mint provides a much more accurate picture of one of the most important transitions in the Lincoln cent series.