1998 Penny Error List with Pictures

A gap between two letters can be normal on one 1998 penny and unusual on another. Ordinary cents and specially made collector coins, called Proofs, used different back designs.

One 1998-S Proof with the wrong letter spacing reached $4,500 in July 2015, according to PCGS. This 1998 penny error list also includes bent-looking shapes, extra designs, and wrong metal, with estimated values of $2–$5,000.

Start with the visible feature below, then check which version of the penny it belongs to.

1. 1998 Lincoln Memorial Penny BIE and Other Letter Chips (Estimated Up to $100)

Look between B and E in LIBERTY for a small raised bar. Its resemblance to an extra I gives this feature the nickname BIE.

A piece broke from the stamping tool, or die, and coin metal filled the little opening. The resulting bump is part of the struck surface.

Philadelphia and Denver 1998 examples are listed in the specialist catalogs. Other chips occur beside different letters and can have different shapes.

An added mark near I or L is not automatically a BIE. Its position should be described as it appears rather than moved to fit the nickname.

Estimated Value

An estimated $2–$100 covers small lettering chips, with most simple BIE examples toward the inexpensive end. Larger, well-defined shapes on clean coins can attract more interest.

The amount is an estimate for this kind of small tool break, not a claimed record sale for every listed chip. A clear close-up gives a buyer more useful information than an elaborate nickname.

Wear and corrosion can hide the shape. An attached piece of dirt does not carry the same premium.

How to Identify

Locate the actual gap in LIBERTY before enlarging the image. For BIE, the extra metal belongs between B and E rather than beside another letter.

With a 10× magnifier, check that the bar rises smoothly from the surrounding surface. A groove with metal pushed up beside it may be a scratch.

Compare both faces for damage, and inspect the smooth edge without picking at the raised mark. Copper bubbles can also resemble a small rounded lump.

On a loose coin, a scale and calipers should show near 2.50 g and 19.05 mm. Normal measurements do not prove the chip.

The useful first match is a solid raised bar in the correct letter gap.

 

2. 1998 Lincoln Memorial Penny Doubled Memorial Details (Estimated Up to $200)

The statue inside the Memorial is a useful starting point. Extra lines can cross it or appear beside a foot and nearby column.

These shapes came from a doubled design in the tool, rather than another strike on the coin. Many coins from that tool can share the same detail.

Philadelphia examples include repeated outlines near the central statue and seventh column. Denver examples have extra column shapes in several other openings.

Each pattern needs its own comparison. A step line that is normal on the building should not become an extra column just because it looks unusual under magnification.

Estimated Value

For matching minor doubled details, use an estimated $5–$200. Small effects on worn coins sit below strong, recognizable shapes on well-preserved examples.

The range reflects comparable minor Memorial varieties. It does not assign a high auction result from a famous doubled portrait to these smaller back-side features.

Look for a feature that another collector can find and match. A vague thickened line in a blurred photograph offers a much weaker reason to pay a premium.

How to Identify

Use a 10× magnifier to find the statue, then count the columns from the left. Choose a Philadelphia or Denver reference that matches the mint letter on the front.

The 1998 variety photographs show separate patterns. Follow the extra shape through its full visible length instead of combining marks from different examples.

Exclude flat shelves beside the design, copper splits, and scratches. Those can create bright extra edges without a doubled tool.

Weigh and measure a loose penny against 2.50 g and 19.05 mm, then inspect its plain edge. These checks support the coin’s identity.

A correctly placed extra statue or column outline is the identifying detail.

 

3. 1998 Lincoln Memorial Penny Clipped Planchet (Estimated Up to $250)

A gap at the edge may have existed before the penny was struck. The unfinished metal disc is called a blank or planchet.

If a cutting punch overlaps a hole or the edge of a metal strip, it can produce an incomplete blank. The coin design later forms on the remaining metal.

Clips are reported for 1998 cents, without a single mint or gap size defining the type. Each piece needs examination of its own cut boundary.

The small 2.05 g zinc blank discussed later is different. Its smaller shape should not automatically be explained as a clipped ordinary penny.

Estimated Value

Estimate $15–$250 for a genuine clip, depending on its size, the remaining date, and surface condition. The range excludes coins cut after minting.

A small straight clip on a 2021 cent sold for $114 in September 2025. That different-year example offers a recent point of comparison without establishing a particular 1998 shape.

The original cut and nearby design matter more than the amount of missing metal alone. Heavy damage can make even a large gap less collectible.

How to Identify

Examine the missing section from above and from the side. Under a 10× magnifier, look for struck detail that meets an original incomplete edge naturally.

The opposite rim may be weak, but that is only supporting evidence. A later cut can also remove weight and make an obvious gap.

Use a scale to compare with 2.50 g and calipers to check the intact width against 19.05 mm. Record how much of the ordinary outline survives.

Inspect the rest of the smooth edge for file marks, cutting ridges, or corrosion. Do not smooth the gap to improve its appearance.

The central question is whether the design formed after the metal was missing.

 

4. 1998 Lincoln Memorial Penny Struck Through Material (Estimated Up to $300)

A local patch can stay weak even though the surrounding portrait is sharp. Something between the tool and blank prevented that part of the design from forming.

The 1998 reports call this a struck-through error. They do not establish one affected face, location, or trapped material for every example.

Grease can fill small recesses in the tool, while solid debris can leave a more distinct impression. Naming cloth or wire requires details that actually support that shape.

Later wear removes a design already present. A struck-through area instead reflects an interruption while the new coin was receiving its design.

Estimated Value

An estimated $5–$300 covers minor blocked details through larger visible impressions. A broad original mark on a clean coin can attract more than one faint letter.

A 2017-D cent with a front-side struck-through error sold for $228 in March 2025. That recent result supplies a related-type comparison, not a price assigned to a 1998 specimen.

Judge the mark together with its surroundings. A scraped patch or ordinary wear belongs outside the same mint-error estimate.

How to Identify

Find sharp design immediately beside the weak or recessed area. Use a 10× magnifier and changing light to follow the boundary between them.

Look inside the patch for original surface rather than scraping lines or rough corrosion. A dent made later may raise a lip of displaced metal around its border.

Compare the other face for damage or general wear. Do not assign a specific trapped object unless the impression preserves recognizable evidence.

A loose example can be checked against 2.50 g and 19.05 mm with a scale and calipers. Inspect its plain edge for later pressure.

An undamaged transition from sharp struck detail into blocked detail is the strongest starting clue.

 

5. 1998 Lincoln Memorial Penny Broadstrike (Estimated Up to $350)

When the entire design fits inside an oversized outline, the coin may be broadstruck. Metal spread beyond its normal limit during striking.

The collar is a ring that usually holds the blank’s edge in place. A broadstrike forms without its normal restraint.

An independently broadstruck 1998 cent belongs in this group. Other 1998 pieces combine spreading with repeated strikes or a backward impression and are discussed with those added features.

Smooth edges are normal for pennies. The absence of grooves does not show that a collar failed, and a coin hammered flat can also become wider.

Estimated Value

Use an estimated $20–$350 for a confirmed broadstrike with readable identity. The amount of spread and preservation both influence the price.

A 1999 broadstrike graded MS65 Red sold for $67 in March 2023. That grade means an unworn coin with relatively few marks and remaining copper-red color.

The adjacent-year sale is a useful comparison for a simple example. A 1998 coin with additional striking errors should be evaluated as one complete piece, without adding separate estimates together.

How to Identify

Check the outer lettering on both faces before measuring. It should remain part of the complete design rather than disappear beyond the blank as on an off-center strike.

Measure several widths with calipers against 19.05 mm. A scale should remain near 2.50 g if the original metal is still present.

Use a 10× magnifier to inspect the portrait and lettering for crushing. A naturally spread border should fit the original design, not surround flattened details from later hammering.

Follow the plain edge for tool marks and filing. The spread can be uneven without making the coin false.

Look for a complete struck design inside genuine outward metal spread.

 

6. 1998 Lincoln Memorial Penny Off-Center Strike (Estimated Up to $600)

The design can run off one side while a broad crescent stays plain on the other. The blank was misplaced between the stamping tools.

An owner reported a 1998 Wide AM cent about 30% off center in an ANACS MS65 Red holder. Its unusual back design and shifted strike are two features on one coin.

That example does not establish a fixed direction for all 1998 off-center cents. Both faces and the readable date should be checked on each piece.

A large blank-looking area is still metal, not a missing section. That distinction separates off-center striking from a clip.

Estimated Value

Estimate $20–$600 across genuine off-center examples with useful surviving identity. A clear date and dramatic displacement can improve collector interest.

A 1999 cent struck 10% off center sold for $47 in March 2023. It illustrates a modest error rather than setting the price of the reported Wide AM combination.

For that combination, consider the back design and off-center appearance together. Two unusual features do not mean two prices should simply be added to value one coin.

How to Identify

Read the date first, then follow the line between struck design and plain metal with a 10× magnifier. Photograph the whole outline to keep the displacement understandable.

Turn the coin over and check whether the missing design fits the same off-center placement. A one-sided shift may involve a misaligned tool instead.

If Wide AM is claimed, inspect the letters separately using the correct ordinary-strike comparison. A shifted design alone does not establish that variety.

Use a scale against 2.50 g and calipers against the usual 19.05 mm outline. Inspect the smooth edge for later removal of metal.

A genuine unstruck crescent beside matching design loss provides the first evidence of an off-center strike.

 

7. 1998 Lincoln Memorial Penny Unplated Zinc Blank (Estimated Up to $800)

A gray penny can still have the normal zinc center used for this year. It may have been struck without the thin copper coat that normally covers it.

A 1998 example has been offered in a PCGS MS64 holder labeled Unplated Planchet. The label identifies the missing-coat error on that particular coin.

This differs from the smaller 2.05 g zinc blank described in the wrong-blank group. It also differs from the layered metal used to make a dime.

A gray photograph cannot distinguish these possibilities. Chemicals can remove copper after minting and create another similar-looking surface.

Estimated Value

For a confirmed unplated cent, estimate $50–$800. Original surface quality and the clear identification of the missing coat help determine its position within the range.

A 1995-D unplated cent graded MS63 sold for $180 in March 2023. A better-preserved 1995 example graded MS67 brought $660 that January.

Those sales show the effect of condition within the same broad error type. They are not transactions for the documented 1998 MS64 coin, whose own surface must be considered.

How to Identify

Compare the gray surface with the certified 1998 example, paying attention to fine lettering and open areas. Use a 10× magnifier to look for pits and chemical damage.

Check both faces and the plain edge without scratching through the metal. A lack of copper on the edge alone cannot prove an original unplated blank.

For a loose coin, compare its weight with 2.50 g and diameter with 19.05 mm using a scale and calipers. Missing copper may lower weight slightly.

Do not borrow the smaller wrong blank’s 2.05 g measurement for this coin. Each piece has its own identity.

A professional finding about the original surface is stronger evidence than gray color.

 

8. 1998 Lincoln Memorial Penny Repeated Strikes and Flipover (Estimated Up to $1,200)

Two dates or overlapping design areas can show that one coin received another blow. It moved between strikes instead of leaving the press normally.

Published 1998 examples include second strikes 40% or 75% off center. A separate repeatedly struck piece also spread far beyond the outline.

A flipover happens when the coin turns over before the next blow. One cataloged 1998 example was struck again within the collar, leaving parts of front and back designs on the same face.

These are separate coins. Their strike percentages, directions, and shapes should be read individually rather than combined into one imagined example.

Estimated Value

An estimated $50–$1,200 covers clearly identified repeated strikes, including attractive flipovers. Readable overlaps and original surfaces matter more than a seller’s claimed strike count.

A 2000 flipover double strike sold for $408 in March 2025. That nearby-year example provides a recent comparison, with its own shape and condition.

A small second impression can be less valuable than a clear, visually striking overlap. Missing parts of earlier designs can also make the exact sequence harder to demonstrate.

How to Identify

Trace one recognizable design area at a time with a 10× magnifier. A portrait, word, or date fragment should belong to a distinct struck position.

For a flipover, look for front and back design remnants together on one face. A normal rotation without turning the coin over produces a different relationship.

Inspect both faces and the smooth edge for later squeezing between coins. Repeated flat shelves beside letters do not establish separate full strikes.

A scale can compare the metal amount with 2.50 g. Calipers can document expansion from 19.05 mm without assuming every example became wider.

Two recognizable design positions, with an overlap that explains their order, are the useful evidence.

 

9. 1998 Lincoln Memorial Penny Brockage with Repeated Striking (Estimated Up to $1,500)

Backward, sunken letters can survive even when a coin has been struck more than once. They came from contact with another struck coin rather than directly from a normal tool.

This mirror image is called a brockage. One 1998 description records an expanded portrait and backward LIBERTY on the back, followed by a second blow about 85% off center.

The back was blocked during that later blow. Another report describes a different repeatedly struck piece with several backward impressions.

These complex examples need both faces explained together. A faint tool-clash line or a raised flipover design is a different effect.

Estimated Value

For an authenticated combination, estimate $100–$1,500. Clear backward letters and a readable sequence of overlapping strikes support stronger collector interest.

A simpler 2001 partial brockage sold for $79 in March 2025. That recent result shows why a small partial impression should not be priced like a dramatic repeated-strike combination.

The estimate covers the entire coin. Do not add a full double-strike price to a full brockage price as though two separate coins were being sold.

How to Identify

Start with the backward lettering under a 10× magnifier. Angled light should show that it sinks into the surface rather than rising like normal letters.

Next follow the later strike’s boundary and compare the opposite face. Keep the blocked portion separate from any surviving older design.

A scale reading can be compared with the normal 2.50 g. Use calipers to record the changed outline against 19.05 mm, then inspect the smooth edge.

Later pressure between finished coins can make false mirror impressions. Look for crushing or tool marks that conflict with the rest of the strike.

An original sunken mirror design, with an understandable later overlap, supports this combined error.

 

10. 1998 Lincoln Memorial Penny Double-Struck Front Die Cap (Estimated Up to $1,500)

An upturned wall around Lincoln’s side can show that the coin stuck to the front stamping tool. Further pressure changed its shape while it remained attached.

The resulting object is called a die cap. A 1998-D example was cataloged as both double struck and a front-side cap, graded NGC MS65 Red and Brown.

That label describes an unworn coin retaining a mixture of copper-red and brown color. It does not give the exact depth of the cap.

The cap is the coin that covered the tool. A flatter coin struck beneath that cover is a different object.

Estimated Value

An estimated $100–$1,500 covers authenticated caps with different depths and surviving details. The reported double strike is part of this same coin’s history.

A 1999 deep front cap graded MS64 Red sold for $660 in March 2023. A 2000 front cap brought $312 in June 2025.

Those nearby-year results provide comparisons without setting the 1998-D price. The original shape, condition, and clarity of the repeated strike should be considered together rather than valued as separate objects.

How to Identify

Look inside the cap before examining the outer walls. A 10× magnifier can help locate the surviving Lincoln design and any second-strike detail.

Follow the surface from the center into the raised sides. Natural stretching differs from a sharp later bend cutting across finished letters.

Do not pull the wall outward or try to flatten it. Use existing measurements if the coin is sealed in a grading holder.

A loose example can be weighed against 2.50 g, with its dimensions gently recorded using calipers. The starting cent was 19.05 mm wide with a plain edge.

Continuous stretched design and compatible repeated-strike details should explain why this coin became a cap.

 

11. 1998 Lincoln Memorial Penny Dime Blank or Smaller Zinc Blank (Estimated Up to $2,500)

Two pale-looking 1998 errors started with different metal discs. One Denver cent is reported on a dime blank, which has bonded outer layers around a copper center.

A separate Philadelphia piece weighs 2.05 g and uses a smaller zinc blank. Mike Diamond rejected its earlier description as an oval clip on an unplated cent.

He considered the blank likely intended for a foreign coin. The country and denomination were not established.

A little copper-colored material appears near its center. That feature belongs to the small zinc example, not to the Denver dime-blank report or every gray penny.

Estimated Value

Estimate $400–$1,500 for an authenticated dime-blank cent. A 2007-D example sold for $600 in March 2023, providing a nearby-type comparison.

For a confirmed smaller foreign-type zinc blank, use a broader estimated $500–$2,500. The unusual blank and evidence supporting its identity matter to that appraisal.

The 2.05 g measurement belongs only to the reported zinc piece. An unsupported country name should not be used to raise its price or turn an ordinary stripped penny into a foreign-blank error.

How to Identify

Use measurements to separate the candidates before assigning a metal type. A normal cent is 2.50 g and 19.05 mm; a dime blank starts near 2.268 g and 17.91 mm.

A scale and calipers can document a loose coin, allowing for spreading during the cent strike. The small zinc example’s recorded weight is 2.05 g.

With a 10× magnifier, inspect the metal and edge for bonded dime layers or a zinc structure. Check for older dime designs, which would mean the disc was already struck.

The small-blank analysis explains why its earlier clip label was rejected. Match the measured metal and struck shape, not just a gray appearance.

 

12. 1998 Lincoln Memorial Penny Cent Struck Over a Dime (Estimated Up to $4,000)

Lincoln can share the surface with traces of Roosevelt or the dime’s torch. A completed dime entered a cent press and received another denomination’s design.

Recorded 1998 examples include cents struck over 1997-P dimes and others over 1998 dimes. Their surviving dates and portrait positions need separate examination.

Philadelphia and Denver reports also belong to different pieces. A mint letter from the old dime may appear away from the cent’s normal mint-letter position.

The older design is the key clue. A cent on an unused dime blank has the same general metal, but no earlier dime image underneath.

Estimated Value

For a confirmed cent-over-dime error, use an estimated $700–$4,000. The clarity of both designs and the remaining original surface affect its appeal.

A 2001 cent over a 2001-P dime sold for $1,320 in September 2025. A higher-graded example from that year brought $2,340 in March 2025.

Those recent results provide comparisons, not transactions for the 1998 coins. An older underlying date can be interesting, but the price should follow the specific coin’s visible evidence and condition.

How to Identify

Find a recognizable dime feature before trying to read a second date. Use a 10× magnifier to trace it beneath the cent design on both faces.

Keep the dates and mint letters attached to their own designs. A partially visible mark should not be filled in from another specimen’s description.

A scale should read near a dime’s usual 2.268 g rather than a cent’s 2.50 g. Calipers can record any expansion from the original dime’s 17.91 mm diameter.

Inspect the layered edge for old grooves, distortion, or a joining seam. A second strike may have changed the edge.

Authentic earlier dime detail beneath a later cent strike separates this error from an unused wrong blank.

 

13. 1998 Lincoln Memorial Penny Two Bonded Blanks (Estimated Up to $5,000)

Two blanks can expand together and remain joined after the blow. The result is one connected object rather than a pair of loose coins.

A published 1998 Philadelphia example has a large spread and an NGC MS65 Red grade. Another auction listing also describes bonded blanks from this year.

The year and grade do not prove those listings show the same object. Their measurements and shapes should remain with the actual illustrated pieces.

Glue, solder, or later pressing can also join pennies. A genuine bond needs to fit the metal movement and design created while the blanks were struck together.

Estimated Value

An estimated $1,000–$5,000 applies to an authenticated, visually clear bonded pair. The amount values the joined object as a whole.

As a related-year comparison, a 2001 pair was advertised at $2,850. That was an asking price, not a confirmed sale, and it did not establish this 1998 pair’s value.

An attractive bond with understandable designs can draw stronger interest. Do not double an ordinary error price merely because the object began with two blanks rather than one.

How to Identify

Inspect the connection without pulling or flexing it. A 10× magnifier should show how original struck design meets metal that spread at the join.

Photograph both outer faces and the edge from several angles. Look for glue, solder, separate cut surfaces, or heat damage that could explain a later assembly.

Two normal cent blanks start with about 5 g of metal. Use a scale only when the piece is safely accessible, and do not claim that theoretical amount as its recorded weight.

Calipers can document the expanded outline compared with one 19.05 mm cent. Keep sealed examples in their holders.

The key is a genuine strike-created connection between two spreading blanks.

 

14. 1998 Lincoln Memorial Penny Wide AM and Proof Close AM (Estimated Up to $5,000)

The right letter spacing depends on how the penny was made. Ordinary 1998 cents normally have A and M nearly touching, while the S Proof normally leaves a gap.

The scarce combinations reverse those expectations: a Philadelphia ordinary cent with Wide AM, or an S Proof with Close AM. Proofs are specially made collector coins.

The change comes from using the other back-design style. It is not a doubled letter or a gap cut into the coin.

The small FG initials beside the Memorial also differ between styles. Those initials help confirm that the entire design matches the claimed variety.

Estimated Value

For ordinary Wide AM cents, estimate $10–$1,000. A red MS67 example brought $940 in June 2014, while worn examples usually sit far below that level.

For the S Proof Close AM, estimate $300–$5,000. PCGS records $4,500 on eBay in July 2015 for a PR70 example.

Those grades describe unusually high preservation. The Proof result should not be applied to an ordinary Close AM penny, whose letter spacing is normal for its version.

How to Identify

Check the front first: the date must be 1998, and an S belongs to the Proof version. A polished ordinary penny is not a Proof.

With a 10× magnifier, inspect the bases of A and M in AMERICA. Then compare FG and its distance from the Memorial using the same design reference.

Wide AM has FG nearer the building; Close AM places it farther away. The spacing must fit the rest of the design rather than damage around two letters.

Both normal versions are about 2.50 g and 19.05 mm with a smooth edge. Use a scale and calipers only on loose coins.

Confirm the unusual combination of finish and complete back design, not the letter gap alone.

 

Conclusion

The same appearance can tell different stories: gray metal may be an unplated cent, a smaller zinc blank, or dime metal. Letter spacing also needs the right comparison for an ordinary coin or a Proof.

Across these examples, estimated values run from $2 to $5,000. Preserve the surface and record both faces and the edge before choosing an error name or comparing an expensive specimen.