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Two angles are shown on this 1969 proof to emphasize the improvement in the obverse. The face and beard have been restored to much greater detail. It still falls short of the early years of the series, which showed each hair, but looks much more sculptured and life-like. The second photo illustrates that the reverse, even on a proof, has started losing the precision of the full steps.

1969 Proof


1969 Business strikes

 

Found this today in a bag of Wheats.

 

Partner to 22D.

 

The San Francisco mint produced two main varieties in 1970. There are a lot of articles on this site and others about identifying the large date and small date versions. I even posted some pictures in post #4014.

Personally, I like to think of the "large date" as having a dropped 7. Looking at the level of the bottom of the 7 seems like the simplest diagnostic. If it is even with the 0, it is small. If halfway between the bottom of the 9 and the 0, it is large (or dropped).

I couldn't quite bring myself to spend around $70 for a small date proof. I'd rather have a nice red-brown cent from the 20's for the money.

1970 Large Date Proof


1970 Business strikes



Large Date


Small Date

 

The beginnings of toning on these 1971 cents is quite subtle. The bust of Lincoln on the proof, the face on the D and S, and the memorial steps on the S all show an extra golden glow.

The large 7 from the 1970-S Large Date has been kept. It is now about equal in size with the 9, instead of the size of the 1 and 0. It matches the long-tailed style of the 9 that was to be even more pronounced in succeeding years. Here are the changes from the 7 in the 1970-S small date, to the larger 7, 2, and 3 that follow. By 1973 the 7 is large enough to support a wave in the top of the numeral, which was previously a straight bar.



1971 Proof


1971 Business strikes

 

1972 Proof


1972 Business strikes

 

1973 Proof


1973 Business strikes

 

Finally got one in change

 

1974 Proof


1974 Business strikes

 

1990 D

 

1974 was the final year that the San Francisco mint produced cents for circulation. As in the late 1950's, starting in 1975 there are only Philadelphia and Denver mints represented. Between them they produced 9,956,721,442 coins, compared to the 2,845,450 proofs in San Francisco.

1975 Proof


1975 Business strikes

 

The cent in the Philadelphia mint packaging shows that a coin can get beat up without ever entering circulation. Would anyone be happy to have an ordinary coin show up when you paid a premium to have it? It may explain why a bicentennial mint set, with $3.82 face value, can be had for $7.00 on eBay.

1976 Proof


1976 Business strikes

 

1977 Proof


1977 Business strikes

 

1978 Proof


1978 Business strikes

 

Now you can see why I have such a strong interest in collecting nice examples of Memorial Cents. Ignored by most collectors and ALL dealers. They think they can buy a mint set or BU roll and get an MS-70 coin because there are "billions". WRONG, you're lucky to find a 65 searching those.

 

Agreed. Pop reports show this pretty well. Seems like 67 and above is pretty difficult. 1973 S business strike for example. PCGS shows 201 in 66, while only 15 in 67 and that is the the top pop.