Penny · 1975

1975 Memorial Penny Value

Prices updated: September 2, 2026

About the 1975 penny

The 1975 cent is a regular circulation issue, struck in bronze (95% copper, 5% zinc), weighing 3.11 g, 19 mm across, from a design by Victor David Brenner. It was struck at Philadelphia, Denver — 9,956,751,442 coins in all, which is why an ordinary example is worth close to face value however well it has been kept.

For scale, 1975 mintage was 810% higher than in 1943 (1,093,838,670 that year) — enough to compare, not enough to change how the coin is valued today.

Denver made the fewest at 4,505,275,300, against 5,451,476,142 from Philadelphia. The mints are within the same order of magnitude, so on this date the mint mark does far less to the price than condition does.

The spread on this date is almost entirely about condition. A worn example is $0.02; the same coin certified MS68RD carries a guide value of $10,500, and PCGS has graded 7 that high. Everything between those two numbers is a question of how the coin was handled in its first weeks.

Legends on this design — obverse: “IN GOD WE TRUST · LIBERTY”. Reverse: “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA · E • PLURIBUS · UNUM · ONE CENT”.

Population figures put that in perspective. Across the grades listed here PCGS has certified 3,571 examples of this date, and only 7 of them reached MS68RD. A coin that spent years in a till will not be among them; one pulled from a roll and never touched might be. That gap is the whole reason two coins with the same date sell for very different money.

There is also a record of what people actually paid. The highest recorded sale for this date is $900, at Heritage Auctions in November 2020. Auction results move around the guide values rather than matching them — the same coin can bring more on a day two determined bidders want it, and less when nobody does.

Value chart by grade

What the grades mean

Grades run G to UNC, then MS60–MS70, where most value sits. How coin grading works →

Uncirculated values (MS grades)

Most value lives above UNC — population shows the rarity.

No mint mark PCGS #2975

Common in circulation, rare in top grade: PCGS has graded only 170 examples in MS67RD — that's why the price jumps from $30 to $150.

Mint mark D PCGS #82979

Common in circulation, rare in top grade: PCGS has graded only 68 examples in MS67RD — that's why the price jumps from $35 to $175.

What BN, RB and RD mean

Copper darkens with age, and graders record how much original colour survives: BN fully toned, RB part-original, RD still mint-red and much the hardest to find. The difference moves the price as much as the grade does. More on grading →

How to identify your 1975 penny

What if it has already been cleaned?

Still identifies the same — you lose the premium. Don't try to fix it.

Where is the mint mark

It sits on the obverse, just below the date. No letter means Philadelphia — normal, not rare. What the letter means →

Proof and collector versions

Alongside the coins made for circulation, the Mint sold 1 collector version of the 1975 1975 penny — proofs and special finishes struck at San Francisco and sold directly in sets. These never entered circulation, so if your coin came out of a till or a jar it is not one of them. They carry an S mint mark and a mirror or satin finish that is obvious next to an ordinary coin. The scarcest was struck in 2,845,450.

Auction records

What to do with your 1975 penny

1. Don't clean it

   Leave the surface alone — see the warning above.

2. Is it worth grading?

   Grading costs roughly $50–100 per coin. For this coin it can pay off in high grades — MS67RD examples are valued at $150, and the top of the scale runs to $10,500. Grading is worth considering only if the coin has no wear and full original lustre.

3. Where to sell

   Dealer: fastest, pays least. Auction: best for coins worth $100+. eBay: most buyers, most fees.

Specifications

FAQ

How much is a 1975 penny worth?

A circulated 1975 penny is worth $0.02 to $0.48 depending on condition and mint mark. In top uncirculated grades it goes much higher — the PCGS guide reaches $10,500 in MS68RD.

How many 1975 pennies were made?

About 9,956,751,442 in total — Philadelphia 5,451,476,142, Denver 4,505,275,300. That is a large mintage, which is why circulated examples stay inexpensive.

Where is the mint mark on a 1975 penny?

See “Where is the mint mark” above.

Are there rare 1975 penny varieties?

No major varieties are catalogued for this date. That does not rule out minting errors on individual coins — off-centre strikes, clipped planchets and doubled dies turn up in any year — but there is no known variety that makes the date itself scarce. With 9,956,751,442 struck, a variety would need to be genuinely rare to stand out from a run this size.

What is the S penny from 1975?

An S mint mark on a 1975 penny means a collector coin from San Francisco — 1 proof and special-finish versions were sold in sets rather than released into circulation. The scarcest was struck in 2,845,450. They are not found in change.

Should I get my 1975 penny graded?

Grading costs roughly $50–100 per coin. For this date it can pay off at the very top of the scale, where the guide reaches $10,500, but only for a coin with no wear and full lustre.

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