2017-P Lincoln Shield Cent : A Collector’s Guide

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes …..
 

The year 2017 was the 225th anniversary of the founding of the United States Mint, and the Mint wanted to engage collectors with numismatic offerings celebrating this milestone. Two such offerings were the 2017 American Liberty High Relief gold coin and silver medal.

Unbeknownst to collectors, however, the Mint under Director David J. Ryder was working to deliver something special to the hobby.

Without announcement and without fanfare, the Mint issued the 2017-P Lincoln Shield Cent into circulation. It was the first cent in United States history–and so far, the only cent–struck at the Philadelphia Mint to feature the “P” mintmark. Collectors didn’t know what to make of the new “pennies” they were finding in change–were they some weird counterfeit with an added mintmark? The Mint quickly confirmed that they were genuine mintmarked Philadelphia cents, and numismatists were pleasantly surprised at how quietly it had all been done.

While the circulating 2017-P Lincoln Cent had a total mintage of over four billion–a little on the high side but still typical for the modern cent–the Mint appeared to be limiting the number of coins struck at Philadelphia in the early part of the year. According to Numismatic News, P-Mint production was lower by more than 100 million pieces by April 2017 and the Denver Mint appeared to be striking extra to compensate. Perhaps the Mint was trying to make the coin slightly less common in the beginning to make the “hunt” more enjoyable. But in the end, more than enough 2017-P cents were produced to satisfy collector demand.

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2017-P Lincoln Cent Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens

As of mid-September 2024, we haven’t observed auction results for top-pop MS68 Red 2017-P Lincoln Cents. But major auction firms have sold examples graded MS67+RD for $37 and $31 in recent years. PCGS estimates that MS68RD specimens would sell for $500 – but then, they also estimate that 67+RD pennies are worth $80. For its part, NGC gives estimates of $325 and $40 for the same grades. Based on this, we speculate that an MS68RD 2017-P Lincoln Shield Cent might sell for around $250.

Examples graded MS67 are much easier to find on sites like eBay, where large sellers treat the coin like a commodity, using the same lot photo for each of their numerous listings. Prices for these often sight-unseen pieces range between $10 to $20.

Prices drop to around $5 for certified MS66RD examples. Raw specimens go for around $1 or $2, depending on how shiny they are.

Top Population: PCGS MS68RD (38, 9/2024), NGC MS69RD (12, 9/2024), and CAC MS64RD (0:1 stickered:graded, 9/2024).

• PCGS MS67+RD #34927014: DLRC, January 29, 2023, Lot 4143 – $37.
• PCGS MS67+RD #84756196: Heritage, June 18, 2019, Lot 25263 – $31.
• NGC MS67RD: eBay, September 19, 2024, Lot 286057387807 – $20.50. Lyndall Bass American Flag signature label (#684).
• NGC MS67RD #4856320-176: eBay, September 18, 2024, Lot 116274044774 – $31.75. Lyndall Bass American Flag signature label (#684).
• NGC MS67RD: eBay, September 12, 2024, Lot 276627614122 – $12.50. Lyndall Bass American Flag signature label (#684).
• NGC MS67RD: eBay, September 5, 2024, Lot 276617660840 – $16.05. Lyndall Bass American Flag signature label (#684).
• NGC MS66RD: eBay, September 11, 2024, Lot 375624558742 – $5.61. American Leaders Abraham Lincoln label (#1175).
• NGC MS66RD: eBay, September 1, 2024, Lot 365079151676 – $13.00. American Leaders Abraham Lincoln label (#1175).

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2017-P Lincoln Shield Cent Design

Obverse:

A right-facing portrait of Abraham Lincoln occupies most of the obverse. The motto IN GOD WE TRUST runs clockwise above Lincoln’s head inside a raised rim. To the left of Lincoln is the word LIBERTY, and to the right and slightly lower is the date 2017. The P mintmark for the Philadelphia Mint appears below the date.

Reverse:

The reverse features a Union shield symbolic of the protection of the Union of the United States – in the past, present, and future. The 13 alternating vertical stripes, representing the 13 original states that were once British colonies, are united in the large horizontal bar at the top representing the nation as a whole. The motto E PLURIBUS UNUM is lightly inscribed in the horizontal bar for greater emphasis. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA runs clockwise along the top half of the rim. This legend is in a serif font; the other inscriptions are sans serif.

The large scroll unfurled in front of the shield with the denomination ONE CENT on it is rendered in such a way as to imply movement. Reverse designer Lyndall Bass’ initials LB are below the scroll on the left side of the shield (viewer’s perspective). Chief Engraver Joe Menna sculpted the design; his initials JFM are below the scroll on the right side.

Edge:

The edge of the 2017-P Lincoln Shield Cent is plain or smooth.

Coin Specifications

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Sources

https://www.numismaticnews.net/archive/add-p-lower-cent-mintage
 

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