Expert: Dan Moore - 10/25/2011

Question
Dear Sir, I found a nice,Clean.Crip.1919 penny and its RED! I read
a lot on the NET and found out only a few of these have ever been
GRADED by NGS and etc etc say about less than 20 to a high grade
level of 63-65 level.What is a RED PENNY?  How many were made in
the year 1919? There must be a link or data to know its exact
mintage.I (did) read on a web-site that there are 3 types of coins
like BLACK,BROWN,RED.Alas! I did not save the link.
I also saw that these 1919,1932,1924 command a lot of money for a
penny recorded auction results in Indiana!
... please any
advise will be...God Bless!

Answer
Hi Mirza,

All pennies are red when they are first struck.  Like any 2011 penny you see today, it will be red.  Over time, and with exposure to different things, they turn red/brown then brown, then if improperly cared for they will turn black.

The current Coin Dealer Newsletter listed price for a 1919 Lincoln Cent in MS-64 RED grade is $38.00

If it had a "D" mintmark below the date, it would be worth $325 -- if it had an "S" mintmark, ir would be worth $1,475 -- these prices assume it could be certified by one of the major services in an MS-64 RED grade.

There were 392 million 1919 pennies minted -- all of them starting out as red -- hard to tell how many would still grade as mint red.

There were 3 that just sold on eBay in PCGS certified MS-65 RED holders for about $195 each -- hopefully yours will grade that high.

If you're near Sarasota, you might be able to go to NGC and get the coin certified -- check out http://www.ngccoin.com for contact info.

I hope this helps,

Dan