Specifications
- Denomination
- 1 cent
- Series
- Lincoln Cents
- Designer
- Victor D. Brenner (obverse); Frank Gasparro (reverse)
- Years of issue
- 1983
- Composition
- 95% Copper, 5% Zinc
- Weight
- 3.11 g
- Edge
- Plain
- Key mintages
- No mintage published for the transitional error; Heritage describes 'a small number' of bronze planchets struck with 1983 dies.
A 1983 cent struck on a leftover solid-bronze planchet is a five-figure rarity: a PCGS MS65 Red example sold for $29,250 through GreatCollections in July 2024 — the latest record, topping the $23,500 Heritage result from December 2013. Check with a scale — genuine bronze pieces weigh about 3.11 grams, versus 2.5 grams for a normal copper-plated zinc 1983 cent.
What it is
A 1983 Lincoln cent struck on a leftover solid-bronze planchet — a transitional wrong-planchet error. During 1982 the U.S. Mint changed the cent’s planchet mid-year, switching from solid bronze (95% copper, 5% zinc, 3.11 grams) to copper-plated zinc (2.5 grams) as a cost-saving measure. Obsolete solid-alloy planchets left over from 1982 production could then be struck by 1983-dated dies (Numismatic News; accessed 2026-09-17).
Related reading: Wrong-Planchet Errors (The Coin Wiki error-type guide).
How it happened
The most offered explanation for how a wrong planchet survives into the next year’s production is a planchet lodged in a crevice of a bin used to transport planchets to the presses. The trapped planchet is eventually dislodged and coined after newly dated dies have been installed — the same mechanism invoked for the famous 1943 copper cents (Heritage Auctions; accessed 2026-09-17).
Genuine 1983 bronze cents are confirmed from both Philadelphia and Denver. They are genuinely rare: Heritage’s archives showed only three prior auction appearances of 1983 copper cents at the time of one of its listings (Heritage Auctions; accessed 2026-09-17), and Numismatic News reports a 1983-D example selling through Stack’s Bowers for $17,625 (Numismatic News; accessed 2026-09-17). Heritage describes only “a small number” of bronze planchets struck with 1983 dies — no mintage figure exists for this error (Heritage Auctions; accessed 2026-09-17).
How to identify
- Weigh it. A genuine transitional bronze 1983 cent weighs about 3.11 grams, while a normal copper-plated zinc 1983 cent weighs only 2.5 grams. Heritage’s MS63 Red and Brown PCGS example weighed 3.05 grams. Any 1983 cent that looks ordinary but weighs in at bronze weight deserves professional examination (Heritage Auctions; Numismatic News; accessed 2026-09-17).
- The error is visually identical to a normal 1983 cent — only weight and composition differ (photo-gap note in research manifest; Numismatic News; accessed 2026-09-17).
Authentication red flags
- Altered coins: do not confuse a genuine transitional error with ordinary copper-plated 1983 cents, or with cents altered to mimic bronze (research notes; Numismatic News; accessed 2026-09-17).
- Weight is the gate: anything not weighing approximately 3.11 grams is not the bronze transitional — no visual inspection alone suffices (Heritage Auctions; accessed 2026-09-17).
- Get it certified: certification by PCGS or NGC is strongly recommended before buying or paying a premium (research notes).
Notable examples
- GreatCollections, July 2024 (reported by Numismatic News) — PCGS MS65 Red, sold for $29,250, the current record (Numismatic News; accessed 2026-09-17).
- Heritage, December 2013 Houston Signature Sale — MS62 Red and Brown PCGS, realized $23,500 (Heritage Auctions; accessed 2026-09-17).
- Stack’s Bowers (reported by Numismatic News) — 1983-D example, sold for $17,625 (Numismatic News; accessed 2026-09-17).
- Heritage lot 5673 — MS63 Red and Brown PCGS, weighed 3.05 grams (Heritage Auctions; accessed 2026-09-17).
What drives value
- Rarity: Heritage’s archives showed only three prior auction appearances of 1983 copper cents; no mintage figure exists (Heritage Auctions; accessed 2026-09-17).
- Certification and grade: the market has paid strongly for certified examples — $29,250 for an MS65 Red PCGS (GreatCollections, July 2024) and $23,500 for an MS62 Red and Brown PCGS (Heritage, December 2013) (Numismatic News; Heritage Auctions; accessed 2026-09-17).
- Mintmark: genuine examples are confirmed from both Philadelphia and Denver, with the 1983-D trading strongly at $17,625 through Stack’s Bowers (Numismatic News; accessed 2026-09-17).
Market check
Compare live listings for this coin on eBay:
Search eBay for 1983 Copper (Bronze) Lincoln Cent (Transitional Error)
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Specifications
- Denomination
- 1 cent
- Series
- Lincoln Cents
- Designers
- Victor D. Brenner (obverse); Frank Gasparro (reverse)
- Year / Mint
- 1983, Philadelphia and Denver (Numismatic News; accessed 2026-09-17)
- Mintage
- None published — Heritage describes “a small number” of bronze planchets struck with 1983 dies (Heritage Auctions; accessed 2026-09-17)
- Composition
- 95% copper, 5% zinc (bronze) — transitional wrong planchet
- Weight
- 3.11 grams (vs. 2.5 grams for a normal 1983 cent)
- Edge
- Plain
- Alignment
- Coin alignment
Sources
- Numismatic News — “1983 copper cent error fetches $30000” (1982 composition change, transitional errors, sale reports; accessed 2026-09-17)
- Heritage Auctions — 1983 cent struck on a copper planchet, lot 5673 (transitional error explanation, December 2013 $23,500 record; accessed 2026-09-17)
- Heritage Auctions — 1983 cent transitional on a bronze planchet, lot 5055 (bin-crevice theory, three prior auction appearances; accessed 2026-09-17)
