1983 Bronze Cent

GiveMeProof

How rare are 1983 bronze cents? Saw a guy on YouTube do a PCGS reveal and sure enough he had one. I think he knew what he had as the weight was that of a bronze cent.

Saw nothing on PCGS price guide or Redbook. Do I have to start weighing all of my 1983 cents?

erscolo

Forty one years after the date, weighting your coins would be a major waste of time. Considering the switchover was in the summer of 1982, I cannot imagine many, if any, 1983 cents with the makeup of older cents.

robec

According to a 2021 article written by Ken Potter Heritage and Stack’s have handled a total of 9 bronze Lincoln’s dated 1983. He considers these rarer than the 1943 P-D-S bronze cents.
With the combined mintage of the 1983 and 1983-D being over 14 billion coins the odds of finding a bronze example are pretty slim.

johnny9434

I heard about the 80s and a few were looking. Never heard how they made out or how many were found, not may

Fraz

By the time you find one your fingers can determine the weight through practice.

GiveMeProof

Thanks ya'll.

WinLoseWin

@GiveMeProof said:
How rare are 1983 bronze cents? Saw a guy on YouTube do a PCGS reveal and sure enough he had one. I think he knew what he had as the weight was that of a bronze cent.

Saw nothing on PCGS price guide or Redbook. Do I have to start weighing all of my 1983 cents?

Weighing all is the method by which a board member here found one in 2006.

1983 cent struck on Bronze Planchet 3.10 grams

https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/514026/1983-cent-struck-on-bronze-planchet-3-10-grams/p1

Some have auctioned at $16,450 to $23,500 when offered around 2013 to 2014, though an ungradable sold for only $1,880 in 2012. More recent prices on Heritage show $3,120 to $4,800 in 2020.

I count 6 different examples at HA alone, so more are probably out there which will likely move the prices down further over time or maybe stabilize or go higher if not many more are found.

(1983 errors by Price Highest First)

https://coins.ha.com/c/search/results.zx?term=1983&si=2&dept=1909&archive_state=5327&sold_status=1526&coin_category=2198&mode=archive&page=25%7E1&sb=3&ic4=SortBy-071515