1990 Lincoln Cent Date Guide
Iraq war and zinc Lincoln cents
1990 overview
Philadelphia (MS)
Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection
(click images above to see larger view)
- Mintage
- 6,851,765,000
- Mintage Ranking for Type
- (13 of 126)
Denver (MS)
Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection
(click images above to see larger view)
- Mintage
- 4,922,894,533
- Mintage Ranking for Type
- (40 of 126)
San Francisco (PR)
- Mintage
- 3,296,504
- Mintage Ranking for Type
- (17 of 54)
1990 in history
- Lincoln Memorial cents remained zinc with copper plating as the United States prepared for war in the Gulf.
- Iraq invaded Kuwait in August, leading to United Nations sanctions and a U.S.-led coalition buildup.
- The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibited discrimination against people with disabilities.
- The Hubble Space Telescope was launched, though a flawed mirror required later repair.
- Germany reunified on October 3 after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
- Nelson Mandela was released from prison in South Africa after 27 years.
- The World Wide Web began serving pages to the public on the Internet.
- Tim Berners-Lee created the first web browser and server software at CERN.
1990 Lincoln cent year notes
Collector notes for 1990 Lincoln cents are being prepared.
Images/Mintage
Philadelphia (MS)
Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection
(click images above to see larger view)
- Mintage
- 6,851,765,000
- Mintage Ranking for Type
- (13 of 126)
Denver (MS)
Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection
(click images above to see larger view)
- Mintage
- 4,922,894,533
- Mintage Ranking for Type
- (40 of 126)
San Francisco (PR)
- Mintage
- 3,296,504
- Mintage Ranking for Type
- (17 of 54)
1990 in history
- Lincoln Memorial cents remained zinc with copper plating as the United States prepared for war in the Gulf.
- Iraq invaded Kuwait in August, leading to United Nations sanctions and a U.S.-led coalition buildup.
- The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibited discrimination against people with disabilities.
- The Hubble Space Telescope was launched, though a flawed mirror required later repair.
- Germany reunified on October 3 after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
- Nelson Mandela was released from prison in South Africa after 27 years.
- The World Wide Web began serving pages to the public on the Internet.
- Tim Berners-Lee created the first web browser and server software at CERN.
1990 cent notes
Collector notes for 1990 Lincoln cents are being prepared.
Design types
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
-
Large pointed serif-D — 1990–1994 · business -
Large proof-S — 1990–1999 · proof
See the mint mark types reference.
Typical values
1990 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-P BN | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0 |
| 1990-P RB | ||||||
| 1990-P RD | ||||||
| 1990-D BN | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0 |
| 1990-D RB | ||||||
| 1990-D RD |
| Issue | AU53 | AU55 | AU58 | MS60 | MS61 | MS62 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-P BN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| 1990-P RB | ||||||
| 1990-P RD | ||||||
| 1990-D BN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| 1990-D RB | ||||||
| 1990-D RD |
| Issue | MS63 | MS64 | MS65 | MS66 | MS67 | MS68 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-P BN | 0.10 | 0.50 | 3 | 7.50 | 15 | 20 |
| 1990-P RB | 0.40 | 1.80 | 4.20 | 10 | 21.25 | |
| 1990-P RD | 5 | 7 | 7.95 | 20 | 42.50 | 200 |
| 1990-D BN | 0.10 | 0.50 | 3 | 6.25 | 13.75 | 17.50 |
| 1990-D RB | 0.40 | 1.80 | 4.20 | 8.75 | 18.75 | 27.50 |
| 1990-D RD | 6 | 7 | 8.30 | 15.75 | 29.75 | 82 |
| Issue | G4 | VG8 | F12 | VF20 | EF40 | AU50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-P BN | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0 |
| 1990-P RB | ||||||
| 1990-P RD | ||||||
| 1990-D BN | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0 |
| 1990-D RB | ||||||
| 1990-D RD |
| Issue | AU53 | AU55 | AU58 | MS60 | MS61 | MS62 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-P BN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| 1990-P RB | ||||||
| 1990-P RD | ||||||
| 1990-D BN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| 1990-D RB | ||||||
| 1990-D RD |
| Issue | MS63 | MS64 | MS65 | MS66 | MS67 | MS68 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-P BN | 0.10 | 0.50 | 3 | 7.50 | 15 | 20 |
| 1990-P RB | 0.40 | 1.80 | 4.20 | 10 | 21.25 | |
| 1990-P RD | 5 | 7 | 7.95 | 20 | 42.50 | 200 |
| 1990-D BN | 0.10 | 0.50 | 3 | 6.25 | 13.75 | 17.50 |
| 1990-D RB | 0.40 | 1.80 | 4.20 | 8.75 | 18.75 | 27.50 |
| 1990-D RD | 6 | 7 | 8.30 | 15.75 | 29.75 | 82 |
Proof
| Issue | PR60 | PR61 | PR62 | PR63 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-S DCAM | 2.65 | 2.65 | 2.90 | 3.30 |
| Issue | PR64 | PR65 | PR66 | PR67 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-S DCAM | 4.50 | 5.40 | 8.40 | 11.25 |
| Issue | PR68 | PR69 | PR70 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-S DCAM | 12.50 | 18.75 | 90 |
| Issue | PR60 | PR61 | PR62 | PR63 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-S DCAM | 2.65 | 2.65 | 2.90 | 3.30 |
| Issue | PR64 | PR65 | PR66 | PR67 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-S DCAM | 4.50 | 5.40 | 8.40 | 11.25 |
| Issue | PR68 | PR69 | PR70 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-S DCAM | 12.50 | 18.75 | 90 |
Die varieties in the catalog
Our attribution catalog for 1990—doubled dies, repunched mint marks, and related varieties documented by die number. This is specialist research beyond regular issue Lincoln cents.
Catalogued dies for 1990
Number of assigned dies in the CopperCoins catalog, by mint and variety type. Click a count to search that group.
