1914-D Lincoln Cent MS66RD

1914-D Lincoln Cent MS66RD

When collectors think about the rarest of Lincoln Cents, oftentimes their minds drift directly to the 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent. As a result, many other Lincoln Cent issues like the 1914-D managed to slip under the radar. Of course, the 1909-S VDB is an incredible numismatic rarity, and with a mintage of just 484,000 coins, it is the lowest minted circulation example in the series. This low mintage, however, caused collectors to take note of the coin early on. In turn, many 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cents did not meet the fate of being heavily circulated. The 1914-D Lincoln Cent, on the other hand, is scarce in all grades due to mass-circulation across the country.

With a mintage of just 1,193,000 coins, the 1914-D Lincoln Cent was produced in significantly lower than other examples of this era, many of which were struck in the tens and hundreds of millions. This leaves the question, why didn’t the 1914-D get removed from circulation by collectors like the 1909-S VDB? The answer is simple, the 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent was a cultural phenomenon, even having songs written about it. With the tremendous hype of the 1909-S VDB, the 1914-D Lincoln Cent just seemed like pocket change to be spent.

This changed in the 1930s, when collecting albums became popular among numismatists. Beneath each date in a collecting album, the mintage of the issue is prominently displayed. As a result, collectors began to realize that the 1914-D was an incredibly low mintage date. By this time, the coins had been circulating for over a decade, leaving a majority of examples in conditions of Very Fine or lower. Of the examples that survived in better condition, many exhibit unsightly carbon spots.

Most examples of the 1914-D Lincoln Cent that have remained in Mint State condition can be attributed to a small hoard of 700 coins found in the 1950s as well as two rolls found in the 1970s. In total, only 315 examples of the 1914-D Lincoln Cent have been graded in Mint State condition with Red designation. To put this into perspective, the 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent has a population of 2,948 in Mint State Condition with Red designation. That is almost ten times as many examples as the 1914-D.

This stunning 1914-D Lincoln Cent has been graded in Mint State 66 Red condition by PCGS, making it one of only ten examples in the grade. With only one coin graded higher in MS66+ condition, this remarkable 1914-D is undeniably among the finest known of the issue.

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