Lincoln Wheat Cent Series
1957 Lincoln Wheat Cent
History, varieties, and collector guide
1957 Overview
The 1957 Lincoln cent is a late Wheat‑reverse bronze issue from two mints, Philadelphia and Denver, in the final years before the Memorial reverse debuted in 1959. Philadelphia struck 282,540,000 coins and Denver produced 1,051,342,000, giving the year a total mintage of over 1.33 billion cents.
Because of this huge output, most 1957 cents are common and inexpensive, but choice red Mint State examples, proof strikes, and a long list of 1957‑D repunched‑mintmark (RPM) and doubled‑die varieties add interest for specialists.
Design and specifications
The design follows Victor D. Brenner’s classic Lincoln obverse and Wheat reverse on a standard bronze planchet.
Key specifications (all 1957 cents),
- Composition, 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc.
- Weight, 3.11 grams.
- Diameter, 19.00–19.05 millimeters.
- Edge, plain.
- Designer, Victor D. Brenner.
- Mintmarks, none (Philadelphia), D (Denver).
- Right‑facing bust of Abraham Lincoln.
- “IN GOD WE TRUST” above, “LIBERTY” at left, date “1957” at right.
- “D” below the date on Denver coins.
- “ONE CENT” and “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” in the center.
- Two wheat ears along the rim.
- “E PLURIBUS UNUM” above.
A separate proof issue, struck at Philadelphia, uses the same design but with mirror fields and sharper details, and is popular with type and date‑set collectors.
Mintage and basic value ranges
- 1957 (Philadelphia, no mintmark), 282,540,000.
- 1957‑D (Denver), 1,051,342,000.
- 1957 proofs (Philadelphia), modest proof‑set mintage, much smaller than business strikes but still widely available to collectors today.
USA Coin Book’s table for 1957 (no mintmark) gives approximate values,
- Fine (F‑12), about 0.06 dollars.
- Very Fine (VF‑20), about 0.12 dollars.
- Extremely Fine (EF‑40), about 0.14 dollars.
- About Uncirculated (AU‑50), about 0.18 dollars.
- Uncirculated MS‑60, about 0.36 dollars.
- Uncirculated MS‑63, about 1.22 dollars.
- Proof PR‑63, about 12 dollars.
Bullion Shark’s overview of 1957 cents summarizes general ranges,
- Circulated, typically about 0.10 to 2 dollars depending on grade and eye appeal.
- Uncirculated, around 2 to 10 dollars or more for common Mint State pieces, with high‑grade examples approaching the low thousands in the best color and grades.
For 1957‑D, price snapshots show,
- Circulated, often around 0.15 to 0.60 dollars in BigDCoins’ estimate, with most pieces still trading for less than a dollar.
- Uncirculated, APMEX lists typical RD prices from a few dollars in lower Mint State to significantly higher levels in MS‑66 and MS‑67 RD.
In short, most 1957 cents are low‑value, and value climbs sharply only for proof issues, top‑grade red gems, and variety or error coins.
Varieties and errors
1957 is a rich RPM year for Denver and also has doubled‑die and error pieces that can bring substantial premiums.
Key 1957 varieties and errors,
- 1957‑D RPMs (D/D and D/D/D)
- Variety Vista lists a long series of 1957‑D RPMs, including RPM‑001 D/D south, RPM‑002 D/D/D northeast and west, RPM‑003 D/D/D south and east, RPM‑004 D/D south, RPM‑005 D/D south with associated DDO‑002, and many more through at least RPM‑021.
- Wexler’s RPM and die‑variety pages describe specific pieces such as WRPM‑005 D/D south and WRPM‑010 D/D tilted (rotated), with detailed die‑marker descriptions (die scratches through the 1 in the date, scratches through “RT” in LIBERTY, and vest lines) to help confirm attributions.
- 1957‑D doubled‑die and multi‑serif mintmarks
- Other errors
No single 1957 variety rivals the fame of the 1955 doubled‑die obverse, but 1957‑D’s broad RPM spectrum and error potential make the date appealing to die‑variety hunters.
Collecting 1957 cents
Because 1957 cents are plentiful, they are ideal both for beginners assembling inexpensive sets and for advanced collectors looking for red gems and RPMs.
Collecting tips,
- Build an inexpensive P‑D‑proof lineup, VF–XF 1957 and 1957‑D business strikes are widely available and cheap, and adding a 1957 proof gives a nice contrast in finish.
- For Mint State, focus on color and surfaces, red‑brown can offer good value, while true RD coins with strong luster and minimal spots are the best candidates for grading.
- Concentrate variety hunting on 1957‑D, use Variety Vista and Wexler’s lists (RPM‑001 through RPM‑021, WRPM‑005, WRPM‑010, and others) as a checklist when examining rolls or bulk lots.
- Consider certification for standout red 1957‑D RPMs or very high‑grade 1957 proofs, since price charts show that the top coins can reach from a couple thousand to around 12,000 dollars depending on color and grade.
A 1957 page on your site can show a P‑D mintage/value table, a proof slot, and a magnified shot of a bold 1957‑D D/D/D RPM to demonstrate how “common” late Wheat issues still reward close inspection.
6 fun facts about 1957 cents
- Combined Philadelphia and Denver mintages for 1957 topped 1.33 billion cents, among the highest totals of the entire Wheat cent series.
- Denver alone struck 1,051,342,000 cents in 1957, over a billion coins from a single mint in a single year.
- Philadelphia’s 1957 output of 282,540,000 cents, while smaller than Denver’s, is still a massive mintage by any historical Wheat cent standard.
- 1957 sits just two years before the Lincoln Memorial reverse replaced the Wheat design in 1959, making it part of the final generation of Wheat cent production.
- Despite the huge mintages, 1957-D features a long list of documented repunched-mintmark and doubled-die varieties that keep variety hunters busy.
- Philadelphia also struck proof cents in 1957, continuing the modern proof series available to collectors who ordered directly from the Mint.
6 common FAQs about the 1957 Lincoln cent
- Is a 1957 penny worth anything?
Most circulated 1957 cents are worth only a few cents, reflecting the year’s enormous combined mintage of over 1.33 billion coins. - Which 1957 cent is more common, Philadelphia or Denver?
Denver, with 1,051,342,000 struck compared to Philadelphia’s 282,540,000, making 1957-D the more commonly found of the two. - Did San Francisco strike 1957 cents?
No, San Francisco’s Wheat cent production had already ended in 1955, so 1957 cents come only from Philadelphia and Denver. - Are there interesting varieties for 1957 cents?
Yes, 1957-D has a well-documented list of repunched mintmark and doubled-die varieties that attract dedicated variety collectors. - How close is 1957 to the end of the Wheat cent design?
Very close. The Lincoln Memorial reverse replaced the Wheat design just two years later, in 1959. - Did Philadelphia strike proof 1957 cents?
Yes, Philadelphia continued producing proof cents in 1957 as part of the Mint’s ongoing modern proof coin program.
3 quiz questions about 1957 Lincoln cents
- Roughly how many cents did Philadelphia and Denver strike combined in 1957?
A) 133 million
B) 330 million
C) 1.05 billion
D) 1.33 billion - Which mint was NOT active for cent production in 1957?
A) Philadelphia
B) Denver
C) San Francisco
D) None, all were active - In what year did the Lincoln Memorial reverse replace the Wheat design?
A) 1955
B) 1957
C) 1958
D) 1959
1957 Lincoln Cent, Takeaway
1957 is a tail‑end Wheat‑cent year, overwhelmingly common in circulation yet still interesting, because bright red Mint State and proof coins, along with a deep bench of 1957‑D RPM and error varieties, turn a routine date into a low‑risk hunting ground where a few cents in face value can occasionally hide a four‑figure prize. For your Lincoln series it frames the close of the Wheat design era by showing that even in its last years, the combination of condition and mintmark quirks kept new finds and collector excitement alive.