They were prepared using specially prepared dies and highly polished planchets, and have a glossy finish and sharp details. And as they were aimed at collectors, all are in uncirculated condition.

They were coinage in two U.S Mints since San Francisco Mint stopped manufacturing these cents in 1955: These 1964-D Special Mint Set pennies are highly valued by collectors because they are the only circulating US pennies composed of 95% copper issued after 1837, and because of their limited production. These pennies can be distinguished from regular 1964 pennies by their sharp strikes, matte-like finishes, and distinctive toning. The 1964 penny is what’s known as a Lincoln penny. These were first issued in 1909, and continue to be produced to this day. Pennies have been part of history in Great Britain since Anglo-Saxon times. It is thought the first Halfpenny coins were minted for Henry I, who reigned from 1100 – 1135. These are extremely rare and could possibly have been only test coins, which may not have entered circulation. As the name would suggest the value was half of a penny.

Penny 1964 - Australian Coins Price Guide and Values

Further authorisation was granted to Bolton in 1799. This enabled him, in 1806 and 1807, to mint one Penny and two Penny coins with a changed design plus new Halfpence coins. Bronze Pennies weighed just under 10g and measuring slightly under 31mm. The Halfpenny coins weighed 5.67g and measured 25.48mm. Until 1937 the Halfpenny design followed that of the Penny. After this date, on the reverse of half Penny coins, Britannia was replaced with an image of Sir Francis Drake's ship the Golden Hind. A 1964 penny is not considered rare in general, as over 3 billion pennies were produced that year. However, there is one specific type of 1964 penny that is rare and highly valued by collectors. Red coins need to be in great condition to be worth more. The requirements are even higher for red and brown pennies. And, unless they have an interesting error, even the finest brown coins are usually worth less than a dollar. The copper content means these coins can be different colors. When copper is new, it’s a warm red shade. As it’s handled and exposed to oxygen in the air, it dulls and turns brown.

That large mintage means that it’s still very easy to find standard 1964 pennies. And the vast majority are worth only their face value. With coins as common as these, priority is given to the most special patinas, so a BN or RB may be undervalued, while an RD makes the coin more expensive because it is so rare in common coins. The most valuable 1964 pennies are special strikes. Only a handful were produced, and they have a different finish to regular or proof pennies. Their appearance is described as “satin finish”, and it’s shinier than regular pennies but less glossy than proofs. In the early 1960s, there was a major coin shortage, presumably due to collectors’ hoarding of circulating silver coins. The U.S. Mint blamed coin collectors for the coin shortage. The portrait was the work of an artist named Victor David Brenner. It shows Lincoln’s head in profile facing e right. Brenner said he wanted to show Lincoln at his most engaging, and had imagined him reading to a child.Mintmark: A 1964 SMS penny will have a “D” mintmark, indicating that it was produced at the Denver Mint. In the 1964 Penny, as in the rest of the modern cents up to 1982, due to its high copper content (95%), there are three different patinas, mostly. These are collected by three different abbreviations, BN, RB, and RD. Each one is more complex to find than the previous one, which is why the price increases due to the difficulty. If your coin is a bright red color, it will be more valuable than brown or red and brown examples. The most valuable coins have no wear or scratches at all, or only the most trivial flaws.

The top of the coin has the country name, also following the curve of the edge. Beneath it, written on the horizontal, is the Latin motto “E pluribus unum”. The words mean “From the many, one” and honor the creation of the USA from the individual states. Other Features of the 1964 PennyThe first of which were introduced by around 785 by the Anglo-Saxon King Offa of Mercia. The name Penny was derived from the German ‘pfennig’ and old English ‘pennige’. Some felt the initials were too bold and amounted to “advertising”. They were removed over the artist’s protests, and didn’t appear again until 1918. That year they were moved to a new position, on the lower cut-off of Lincoln’s bust. That’s where you’ll find them on the 1964 penny. As was usual for coin designers, Brenner signed his design. He’d originally intended to add his signature to the obverse, but was told this wasn’t acceptable. So instead, he placed his initials on the reverse – but that led to controversy too. The ship featured on the reverse design, which first appeared on the 1937 halfpenny pattern of Edward VIII, is based on Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hind, in which he became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe between 1577 and 1580.

Edge: The edge of a 1964 SMS penny will have a square rim, unlike the rounded edge of a regular penny.A coin that’s at least 95 per cent brown across its total surface is graded “brown”, abbreviated to “BN”. And anything in the middle counts as “red and brown” or “RB”.