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Although most Memorial Lincoln Cents (those minted 1959-present) survive in large numbers in uncirculated condition, the series does have its rarities, including at least one trophy coin rarity. All of the rarities, however, are errors or varieties. None of the normal dates and mintmarks are of exceptional value in all uncirculated grades. The undisputed king of the Memorial series is the 1969-S double die. Only a handful of this prominent double die exist, primarily because the U.S. Mint learned of the error in time to prevent most from reaching circulation. This coin will sell for over $100,000 in gem condition. Even a slightly circulated coin is worth tens of thousands of dollars. If the 1969-S double die is beyond one's reach, one can consider the 1970-S double die obverse coin which is generally less than $5,000 in choice uncirculated. A more affordable error coin is the 1990 No S Proof cent. This is valued at $3,000 in the 1969 Red Book. The S mintmark is not found on such otherwise common proof cents. Only a small number escaped the mint in such a state. Other double dies round out most of the rest of the Memorial rarities, including the 1971-S double die obverse, the 1983 double die obverse, the 1984 doubled ear, and the 1995 double die obverse. These vary in price from under $100 to over $1,000 depending on condition. Deserving special recognition is the famous 1972 double die obverse, which started the double die hunt in the Memorial series, and created a widespread desire among Memorial collectors to add to their collections as many errors and varieties as possible. The year 1960 saw cents made with both large and small dates, leading to the 1960-D large over small date. This great variety is only a few hundred dollars, even in gem condition. The year 1970 also saw large and small dates at the San Francisco ("S") mint, with the small date available in gem red condition for under $100. The "AM" in America on a number of dates in the 1990's and 2000 resulted in a number of variety coins, dubbed "close" and "wide" AM. In the close AM, the A and M virtually touch. In the wide, the letters are more apart. The most valuable of these are the 1992-D Close AM and the 1999 wide AM. These valuable varieties were caused by using proof dies on a small number of mint state strikings. Other errors and varieties of Memorial Lincoln's abound. Maybe one of them will catch on in popularity and gain a hefty price tag. For now, they add to the enjoyment of the series. Next, I will discuss the condition rarities of this series.

Very quietly, the Lincoln Memorial Cent, first minted in 1959 and largely ignored by contemporary collectors, is reaching its 50th year, a major milestone for any U.S. Coin type. Although long ignored, interest in this series is on the increase. For the most part, collectors of this series should focus on coins that grade no less than MS65. For the later years (after 1980), MS66 is generally the minimal desired grade, with some years still reasonable in MS67. Collectors should generally stick with full red coins. Advanced collectors may find it challenging to collect examples with beautiful multi-colored Red-Brown toning. Any Memorial Cent, to be considered worthy of a collection, must demonstrate a full strike and full original luster that has a minimum of bagmarks or small ticks and is relatively carbon spot free. Subliminal or micro-spots are almost unavoidable. In other words, a coin with potential to grade MS65 or higher. So many Memorial's exist that anything in grades lower than MS65 (apart from the super rarities in the series) that such coins should be considered for use only as temporary hole fillers. The grading services differ slightly in what each considers sufficient for MS65, MS66, and MS67 and higher. PCGS is the most rigorous, and its graded coins in these grades almost always bring higher prices than the other grading services. PCGS will generally not grade a Memorial Cent with any tick visible to the naked eye higher than MS65. Another critical point to PCGS is strike quality. A worn obv. die that leaves Lincoln's bust without as much highpoint hair and cheek detail will not grade higher than MS65. And, special attention should be paid to the steps of the Memorial on the rev. All the steps should be visible, with no traces of erosion at the lower center of the steps. Such wear will keep PCGS from grading such a coin higher than MS65. Trivial carbon spots are less serious to PCGS than ticks, and will not absolutely prevent an MS66 or MS67 grade if the coin otherwise qualifies by their standards. NGC is slightly more liberal than PCGS when it comes to ticks and trivial wear erosion on the Memorial steps. Otherwise it is about the same. One cannot predict how either NGC or PCGS will react to satiny surfaces vs. flashy surfaces. One would predict PCGS would prefer flashy and NGC satiny. However, in my test submission of high grade Memorials of the same dates, the two services were almost in lockstep how they graded the coins, and PCGS would sometimes prefer the satiny luster and NGC the frosty luster. So the luster characteristics are not predictive. But in any case, full luster is essential. I will discuss the key and rare dates next.