2016 Lincoln Cent Errors: Value Guide & Rare Varieties

Over 9.1 billion 2016 Lincoln Shield Cents left the Philadelphia and Denver mints — yet a handful of genuine production accidents hide among those billions, worth anywhere from a few dollars to over a thousand. The tricky part: this year is also plagued by lookalike defects (plating blisters, zinc corrosion, machine doubling) that fool even experienced collectors. See the full 2016 Lincoln cent value guide for standard prices, then use the diagnostics below to determine if yours is one of the real ones.

2016 Lincoln Cent: Specifications & Mintage

Every error hunt starts with knowing what a normal 2016 cent looks like. Any deviation from these measurements — especially weight or diameter — is your first clue that something unusual happened during production.

2016 Lincoln Shield Cent obverse and reverse showing normal design features.

For complete grade-by-grade pricing, visit our 2016 Lincoln Cent value guide.

2016 Lincoln Cent: Quick Error Checks

Run your coin through these seven checks before drawing any conclusions. The three green cards below flag genuine potential errors. The four red cards flag the most common false alarms — all worth face value despite looking unusual.

✅ Potentially Valuable Checks

Machine doubling (left, flat shelf effect) vs. genuine hub doubling (right, thicker letters). Only hub doubling adds value.

🚫 False Alarm Checks — These Are NOT Valuable

2016 Lincoln Cent Errors: Complete Value Table

This table lists only verified errors and varieties supported by major attributers (Wexler, VarietyVista/CONECA) or confirmed auction precedent. Items not on this list do not carry a premium.

Highlighted rows (amber border) are covered in detail in the Jackpots section below. Values reflect raw (ungraded) coins unless noted. Authentication by PCGS or NGC required for errors above $100.

2016 Lincoln Cent: Valuable Errors & Varieties Explained

These are the five confirmed categories of valuable 2016 Lincoln cent errors. Each requires specific diagnostics — there are no shortcuts.

2016 WDDO-001 — Doubled Die Obverse (CONECA 1-O-VI)

Normal LIBERTY letters (left) vs. WDDO-001 showing thicker, blockier B, E, and R (right).

Origin & Background

The 2016 WDDO-001 is the most widely recognized variety for this date, listed by both the Wexler Doubled Die Files and VarietyVista (CONECA). It results from the modern "single-squeeze" hubbing method — where distortion occurs during a single pressing of the hub into the die rather than the rotational misalignment of older multi-squeeze techniques. The result is Class VI (Distended Hub Doubling) — thicker, blockier letters rather than separate doubled images.

How to Identify

• Use a 10× loupe. Examine the letters of LIBERTY — specifically B, E, and R should appear wider and blockier than on a normal coin.
• The extra thickness is a Class VI distortion — letters look beefier, not split or doubled with a gap between them.
• Definitive marker: Two parallel diagonal die scratches running toward the southwest through the lower portion of the letter G in GOD (on IN GOD WE TRUST). Without these exact scratches, the variety cannot be confirmed.

Close-up of the G in GOD showing the two parallel diagonal die scratch markers that confirm WDDO-001.

False Positives to Avoid

Die deterioration on worn dies causes mushy, ill-defined letters — this is not doubling. Machine doubling creates a flat shelf that makes letters look thinner, not thicker. If the secondary image is flat and step-like, or if the letters look degraded rather than beefy, you do not have WDDO-001. The die scratch markers near G are the only definitive confirmation.

Market Values

• Raw (ungraded), confirmed: $3–$10
• Graded MS65RD or MS66RD: $15–$40
• Note: This is a minor variety by modern standards. Sending it to a TPG service for grading is financially justified only if your coin is in exceptional (MS66+) condition.

2016 Cent Struck on a Dime Planchet

A 2016 cent struck on a dime planchet is smaller (17.9 mm vs. 19 mm) and lighter (2.27 g vs. 2.50 g).

Origin & Background

A wrong planchet error occurs when a clad dime planchet (intended for the Roosevelt dime) accidentally enters the cent press. Because the dime planchet is smaller and lighter than a cent planchet, the resulting coin is distinctly undersized, silver-colored, and underweight. This is one of the most dramatic and valuable modern cent errors.

How to Identify

• Color: Silver (clad alloy), not copper.
• Weight: Approximately 2.27 grams — weigh with a precise digital scale. Standard cents weigh 2.50 g.
• Diameter: Approximately 17.9 mm — visibly smaller than a normal 19 mm cent. Use calipers.
• Design: Lincoln's portrait and the shield reverse will be truncated (cut off) at the edges because the smaller planchet can't accommodate the full cent design.
• Magnetism: Will NOT be attracted to a magnet.

False Positives to Avoid

Science experiment pennies plated with zinc (silver appearance) or heated to create brass (gold appearance) are the primary impostors. These will weigh 2.50 g or more and measure the full 19 mm — both disqualify them immediately. Foreign coins and steel washers may attract magnets and are not wrong planchet errors.

Market Values & Authentication

• Verified, authenticated: $300–$1,000+
• Professional authentication (PCGS or NGC) is mandatory — no dealer will pay full value without a TPG holder.

2016 Off-Center Strike

A major 50% off-center 2016 Lincoln cent with the date still visible — the most desirable configuration.

Origin & Background

Off-center strikes occur when the delivery mechanism fails to properly seat the planchet in the collar before the dies close. The result: only part of the design is struck, leaving a crescent of blank, unstruck metal on one side. Value scales directly with the percentage of design missing.

How to Identify & Grade Severity

• Minor (5–10%): Small blank strip at one edge. Design is mostly complete. Value: $20–$50.
• Major (30–50%+): Large blank crescent. Design is significantly missing. Value: $75–$150+.
• Premium factor: A major off-center strike where the date 2016 is still legible in the struck portion commands the highest price — it confirms the year for buyers.

False Positives to Avoid

A slightly uneven strike that still covers the entire planchet is NOT an off-center error and has no premium. Dryer coins (tumbled through a machine) and coins bent or crushed post-mint are post-mint damage — the design itself will show distortion, unlike a clean off-center strike.

Market Values

• 5–10% off-center: $20–$50
• 30%+ off-center, date visible: $75–$150+
• Verified at auction: A 2016 Lincoln Cent 5% Off-Center graded ANACS MS-64 RD sold through GreatCollections.

2016 Broadstrike Error

Broadstrike (left) showing absent rim and wider spread vs. normal 2016 cent (right).

Origin & Background

A broadstrike occurs when the collar die — the ring that holds the planchet in place and forms the rim — fails or jams. Without the collar containing the metal, it flows outward freely during the strike, producing a coin wider than 19 mm with a flat, featureless rim.

How to Identify

• Diameter exceeds 19 mm when measured with calipers.
• Rim is virtually absent or greatly reduced — the coin looks "spread out."
• The coin appears thinner than normal but retains sharp design detail (the design itself is not distorted).

False Positives to Avoid

Coins run over by vehicles or deliberately hammered flat retain sharp rims but show extreme distortion in the design. Broadstrikes show a smooth, gradual spread with preserved design detail. PMD (post-mint damage) coins typically show marks, gouges, or crushed devices.

Market Values

• Verified broadstrike: $10–$20

2016 Retained Cud — Major Die Break

A retained cud (solid raised mass at the rim) with 95° die rotation — a combination documented in Coin World for a 2016 Lincoln cent.

Origin & Background

A Cud (rhymes with "bud") is caused by a chunk of die steel breaking away from the die face. Metal from the planchet flows into the void left by the broken piece, creating a raised blob. A Retained Cud means the broken piece is still in place but no longer strikes the coin properly — the broken section is held in by the press but leaves an irregular raised mass. A documented 2016 Lincoln cent with a retained cud and a 95-degree die rotation was reported in Coin World — a combination that numismatic journalist Steve Smith noted was one no expert had previously seen on a U.S. coin.

How to Identify

• A large, solid, raised mass of metal at or near the rim. The metal is not hollow — it does not depress when touched.
• Always connected to the rim (this distinguishes it from die chips and plating blisters).
• Check for die rotation: hold the coin by the obverse and flip it — the reverse should align straight. A 90°+ rotation is a dramatic misalignment.

False Positives to Avoid

Plating blisters look superficially similar but are hollow (they yield when pressed), can appear anywhere on the coin, and are not necessarily connected to the rim. Die chips are small, solid nuggets in tight letter crevices (e.g., inside the B of LIBERTY), not large masses at the rim. A genuine cud is large, solid, and always touches the rim.

Market Values

• Documented 2016 retained cud: $100–$200+
• Reference: Coin World — Collectors' Clearinghouse on the 2016 die-break + rotation

2016 Lincoln Cent: Common False Alarms Worth Nothing

These are the most costly misconceptions in 2016 cent collecting. Each one looks unusual enough to raise hopes — but none add any numismatic value.

Left: Plating blister (hollow, anywhere on coin, not connected to rim). Right: Genuine die cud (solid, always at the rim).

A chemistry class penny plated silver (left) or heated to brass/gold (right) — both are worthless alterations, not mint errors.

2016 Lincoln Cent: How Grade Affects Value

For the 2016 cent, grade creates a dramatic "cliff" in value. Most coins from circulation grade between MS60 and MS63, where value is a few cents at most. The real premium begins only above MS67.

The RD designation (Red) matters enormously. A 2016 cent must retain at least 95% original red copper luster to qualify. Spots, carbon flecks, or any discoloration kill the RD designation and the associated premium. For error coins, grade still matters — a WDDO-001 in MS66RD is worth $40; the same variety in MS63 may bring $5 raw.

2016 Lincoln Cent: When to Get It Professionally Certified

Third-party grading (TPG) services — primarily PCGS and NGC — authenticate, grade, and encapsulate coins in tamper-evident holders. This is the numismatic gold standard but it comes at a cost.

Submit if your coin is:

• A verified wrong planchet: $300–$1,000+ authenticated value justifies fees. No reputable dealer will buy without a TPG holder.
• A major off-center (30%+): $75–$150+ makes authentication worthwhile.
• A documented retained cud: $100–$200+ — submit with the Coin World reference.
• A potential MS68 or MS69: The $490–$1,550 top-grade market justifies fees if the coin is flawless under 10× magnification.

Do NOT submit if your coin is:

• A WDDO-001 in average circulated or lower MS condition — grading costs exceed the variety's value.
• A minor broadstrike ($10–$20 value).
• Anything with plating blisters, zinc rot, or machine doubling — these are not errors.

For authenticated high-value error coins, a PCGS or NGC member dealer can provide professional appraisal and purchase offers. Contact information for member dealers is available through the respective TPG websites.

2016 Lincoln Cent Errors: Frequently Asked Questions

Research Methodology & Sources

All values, diagnostics, and variety attributions in this guide are drawn exclusively from primary numismatic sources. No prices are based on active eBay listing prices (asking prices only). Verified sources used:

• PCGS CoinFacts — 2016-D Lincoln Cent Shield RD (auction records, population data)
• VarietyVista — 2016 1c DDO-001 (variety attribution and diagnostics)
• Wexler's Coins and Die Varieties — Shield Cent Doubled Dies
• Coin World — Retained Cud + 95° Rotation documentation (Steve Smith)
• GreatCollections — 2016 Lincoln Cent 5% Off-Center ANACS MS-64 RD auction record
• Lincoln Cents — Official mintage figures
• Error-Ref.com — Plating Blisters reference

Values reflect typical retail estimates as of January 2026. Error coin values vary significantly based on grade, eye appeal, and professional authentication status.