Lincoln Cent Rarities - The 1970-S Large Date Doubled Die Obverse
June 12, 2026
To commemorate the discontinuation of the Lincoln Cent, we have been featuring in recent installments of this column (as well as throughout PCGS Insider) a number of Lincoln Cent subtypes, varieties, and error-varieties. Among them are the 1960-D Small Date Over Large Date; the doubled ear of some 1983-D, 1984, 1988, and 1997 issues; and the subsets of varieties known as the “Wide AM” and “Close AM” reverses. Other doubled die obverses like the 1995 and 1995-D with doubling of “IN GOD WE TRUST,” “LIBERTY,” and the date and the 1982 zinc small date with doubled “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” and “ONE CENT” were also mentioned. While all of these errorvarieties are challenging to find in pocket change or change-filled water bottles of pennies, they are attainable with enough diligent searching (and some luck).
We also highlighted the famous and more difficult 1955 Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln Cent with its dramatic doubling in every numeral of the date, the eyelid, lips, and nose, and every letter of “LIBERTY” and “IN GOD WE TRUST.” Although it is estimated that about 5,800 to 6,000 of these exist, they are still considered scarce to rare bearing in mind the substantial mintage of 330,958,200 cents made at the Philadelphia Mint in 1955.
From PCGS