2022 Lincoln Cents 1959 to Date MS65RD

History

The Extra "V" is a die variety found in ordinary 2023 Philadelphia circulation-strike cent production rather than a separately authorized issue. The Union Shield reverse had been in use since 2010, making 2023 the fourteenth year the Mint struck and released shield cents into commerce. PCGS attributes the anomaly to a modified hub that in turn produced at least one working die, which places the origin inside the Mint and caps the potential population at that die's output. Examples reached the auction market within the same calendar year they were struck, with an NGC MS-68 red piece bringing $780 in November 2023.

Details

Victor D. Brenner's 1909 portrait appears on the obverse and Lyndall Bass is credited with the Union Shield reverse. The host coin follows the post-1982 cent standard of copper-plated zinc, 97.5 percent zinc with 2.5 percent copper, weighing 2.5 grams on a 19 mm planchet. All known examples come from Philadelphia and carry no mint mark. Philadelphia struck 2,262,000,000 cents in 2023 and Denver struck 2,260,800,000, though the Extra "V" accounts for only a small and unpublished portion of the Philadelphia total.

Features

The obverse carries IN GOD WE TRUST along the upper periphery, LIBERTY to the left of Lincoln's bust and the date at the right. On the reverse, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA follows the top rim above a Union shield bearing E PLURIBUS UNUM, with ONE CENT in a ribbon across the shield. The diagnostic is an extra letter V following the designer's initials at the truncation of Lincoln's shoulder, so the sequence reads beyond the normal VDB; some listings shorthand it as VDB V. Because the feature comes from the hub rather than from damage, a genuine example shows the extra V raised, sharply formed and in the same position every time, with undisturbed surrounding field.

Notable facts

• PCGS catalogs the red variety as number 926405 and maintains separate holders for Extra "V" BN, Extra "V" RB and Extra "V" First Strike RD.
• PCGS describes the issue as unusual among Lincoln cents because no other variety in the series has featured a misplaced V.
• PCGS, NGC and ANACS all attribute the variety on their labels.
• The reverse is unaffected, so authentication turns entirely on the obverse shoulder truncation.
• Color designation drives value on a coin this young, and nearly all market interest sits with full red examples.