In 1960 the Philadelphia Mint struck Lincoln cents from two different date hubs — and the smaller, finer date is the one collectors hunt for. It carries no mintmark and no separate mintage, so knowing the diagnostics is what separates a 25-cent find from the genuinely scarce variety.
History
1960 was only the second year of Frank Gasparro’s Lincoln Memorial reverse, which had replaced the wheat reverse in 1959. During the year the Philadelphia Mint used both large-date and small-date obverse hubs, producing two distinct business-strike varieties of the no-mintmark cent. The Mint did not record the two varieties separately: the published year total of 586,405,000 pieces covers both the Small Date and the Large Date together (GreatCollections; L&C Coins).
The small-date/large-date split is not unique to Philadelphia — Denver’s 1960 cents also come in small and large dates, and the famous 1960-D small-over-large-date doubled-die variety is a different and far more dramatic error. That Denver variety is covered on its own page; this entry covers the classic Philadelphia business-strike small date.
Proof strikings from 1960 carry the same small-date/large-date distinction. Researchers believe the proof sets assembled in January and February 1960 were all small date, accounting for roughly 12% of that year’s proof cents, and small-date proofs trade for about double their large-date siblings (CoinWeek).
What is it worth
The small date is considerably scarcer than its large-date counterpart and is the more valuable of the pair by a wide margin — one of the few genuinely sought business-strike varieties of the Memorial cent series (GreatCollections). Circulated examples typically trade for a few dollars. At the gem level, one dealer listed an in-house-graded MS65 example at $20.00 (out of stock), which reflects retail asking levels rather than a wholesale quote (L&C Coins).
Precise price-guide ranges for this variety were not documented in the consulted references — compare live listings in the Market check below.
What drives the premium
Attribution is everything: the date must read unambiguously as the small date, sharply struck. Full original red mint color (RD) is the designation the market pursues, since the variety was recognized early and rolls were put away, making red gems obtainable (GreatCollections). As with most Memorial varieties, premium jumps are steepest at MS65RD and above, and third-party grading that confirms the attribution adds confidence for buyers.
How to identify the valuable variety
The small date is recognized by a “1” that falls short of the tops of the “9” and “6”, and by the rounder, more compact and delicate form of the digits (GreatCollections). On the large date, the digits — especially the “6” — are taller, larger, and bolder. The practical test: place the coin next to a known large-date 1960 and compare the date size directly; the small date looks noticeably finer.
Do not confuse a genuinely small-date coin with a weak strike or a worn large date. If the digit shapes are simply mushy rather than small and delicate, it is not the variety. When in doubt, certified examples from PCGS or NGC remove the guesswork.
Specifications
Designer: Victor D. Brenner (obverse), Frank Gasparro (reverse). Weight: 3.11 grams. Diameter: 19 mm. Composition: 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc. Edge: plain. Mint: Philadelphia (no mintmark). Strike: business strike. Mintage: 586,405,000 — combined total for small and large dates; no separate small-date mintage was recorded (GreatCollections).
Collector notes
This is a classic roll-hunting target: unsearched rolls of 1960 Philadelphia cents still turn up, and the variety is common enough in rolls that finding one is a realistic goal. Because the Mint never broke out the small-date mintage, nobody knows exactly how scarce it is — only that market experience shows it trailing the large date by a wide margin. It pairs naturally with the 1960-D small-over-large-date page for collectors building a 1960 variety set.
Compare live listings for this coin on eBay:
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Sources
- GreatCollections — 1960 Lincoln Cent Small Date (PCGS MS-65 RD)
- L&C Coins — 1960 Lincoln Cent Small Date
- CoinWeek — How to Identify 1960 Lincoln Cent Proof Varieties
- PCGS CoinFacts — 1960 1C Small Date
