To collectors of U.S. coins, 1965 was an epoch in the history of the American monetary system. A coinage shortage and the rise of silver bullion prices
United States 1980 (P) Lincoln Cent
The
juxtapenultimate date struck from the majority-copper alloy in use since the early 1960s,
1980 Lincoln cents were struck and issued against a backdrop of uncertainty about the denomination, as successive administrations tested new compositions and pondered its elimination.
The coins themselves are not remarkably rare by any measure, but the years surrounding their issuance saw a shortage of cents in circulation, a problem that had dogged the
Treasury Department and the
United States Mint for years. This, alongside a major collectible, doubled die variety of the date and condition rarities at the upper end of the grading scale, make the 1980 Lincoln cent quite a bit more interesting to the collector than meets the eye.
United States 1960 Lincoln Cent Overdate Varieties in Proof
CoinWeek article, 1960 was a pivotal year for coin collecting in America.
Rare coins, the traditional backbone of the hobby, continued to thrive, with many historic collections being built – some publicly, some privately. But the real buzz encircling the coin hobby centered on modern
U.S. Mint issues. Collector interest in annual Proof Sets was growing year after year. A market for uncirculated coin rolls had developed, with speculators placing bets that desirable Mint State coins had a bright future as the hobby’s expansion continued to grow at a double-digit pace year-after-year.