1957 Lincoln Cents 1909-1958 PR66RD

History

The Lincoln cent entered production in 1909 for the centennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth, replacing the Indian Head design that had run since 1859. Victor David Brenner's initials, placed at the bottom of the first reverse between the wheat stalks, drew enough criticism that they were removed during that first year, and they returned on the obverse beginning in 1918. By 1957 the type was 48 years old and near the end of its run, with the wheat reverse retired after 1958. The year itself brought no legislative or design change to the denomination, though the United States entered a recession in 1957 that ran into 1958, driven by Federal Reserve action against postwar inflation and weakness in the automobile and housing sectors.

Details

Brenner designed both the obverse and the original reverse, and the 1957 cent carries his work unchanged. The alloy is 95 percent copper with the remaining 5 percent tin and zinc, the weight is 3.11 grams, the diameter is 19 millimeters, and the edge is plain. Philadelphia struck the coins without a mint mark. The proof mintage for the year was 1,247,952 pieces.

Features

The obverse carries a right-facing bust of Lincoln with the initials VDB on the truncation of the shoulder. The reverse shows two wheat heads framing the denomination, a design dated 1909. No major doubled die or other significant die variety has been attributed to the 1957 Philadelphia cent by a recognized attribution service, which sets the date apart from its immediate neighbors: the 1955 doubled die obverse resulted from a working obverse die misaligned on the second blow from the hub, and 1958 produced another of the series' best known doubled die obverses.

Notable facts

• The alloy is sometimes stated in expanded form as 95 percent copper with 2.5 percent tin and 2.5 percent zinc.
• Reported diameters range from 19.00 to 19.05 millimeters, the latter being the exact metric conversion of the 0.750 inch specification.
• The coin roll saving craze of the 1950s and 1960s put large quantities of mid to late 1950s cents away in original rolls, which is why mint state survivors remain plentiful.
• Population counts for Red examples from this era are inflated by repeated resubmission in pursuit of the MS67RD grade, while Brown and Red-Brown populations stay low simply because few are submitted.
• A 1957 proof graded PR68DCAM brought $29,375 in September 2021, far above what the plain Red designation commands.