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.