1965

The 1965 Lincoln cent arrived during one of the most chaotic periods in U.S. Mint history. A nationwide coin shortage had gripped the country, caused in part by hoarding, partly by the booming economy, and partly by speculation on rising silver prices. Congress passed the Coinage Act of 1965, which eliminated silver from dimes and quarters and reduced it in half dollars. The penny contained no silver, but the crisis affected it anyway.

To discourage hoarding and date-specific speculation, the Mint removed all mintmarks from coins produced in 1965 through 1967. Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco all struck cents during this period, but none carry a mintmark. It is impossible to determine which mint produced any given 1965 cent. The Mint also froze the 1964 date on dies longer than usual, meaning some coins dated 1964 were actually struck in early 1965. Philadelphia's reported 1965 mintage was nearly 1.5 billion. The 1965 cent is extremely common and carries no premium in any circulated grade.