1992 Close AM Penny Value & Identification Guide

Reference figures above come from published PCGS article and auction data checked September 18, 2026. The chart keeps documented checkpoints separate from grades without a published figure.

The Close AM diagnostic is on the reverse of the penny in the word AMERICA. In a Close AM, the bases of the A and M nearly touch. On a normal Wide AM, a visible gap separates them. Look at the lower part of the A and M with a straight-on, sharp photograph or a loupe. Lighting, wear and image compression can make a normal coin appear unusual.

For a genuine Philadelphia Close AM, published PCGS references place circulated examples in the thousands and high-grade Red examples much higher. The PCGS article reported about $2,500 for AU55BN, about $7,000 for MS63RD and a $25,850 record for an MS67RD. Those figures describe dated references and completed sales, not a guaranteed offer for an ungraded coin.

The Denver variety has a broader documented market record than the Philadelphia variety, but it is still not a normal 1992-D cent. PCGS references include about $2,100 for AU55BN, about $3,750 for MS63, a $3,525 AU58BN Stack's Bowers result, a $3,818.75 MS64RD result and a $14,100 MS65RD Heritage result. Grade, color and certification matter at every level.

The Philadelphia and Denver versions must be discussed separately. PCGS has described fewer than 20 1992 Close AM examples across its grades in its published article, while its current CoinFacts text describes just over 100 discovered 1992-D examples. Specialist references have published lower historical counts for both varieties. The figures can change as coins are discovered, reattributed or reported by different services.

A known-example count is not the same as a PCGS or NGC certification population, and neither is the same as an estimate of all surviving raw coins. Mintage is the number of ordinary cents struck at the Mint, not the number of Close AM pieces. Treat any single exact total as date-stamped information.

As of the PCGS CoinFacts text checked September 18, 2026, just over 100 1992-D Close AM examples had been discovered. PCGS also notes that most examples grade between AU50 and AU58. This is a published discovery estimate, not a unique-survivor census, and it should not be confused with the PCGS population of individual holders.

The Close AM reverse resembles the design used for circulation Lincoln cents beginning in 1993. PCGS describes the 1992 and 1992-D examples as transitional varieties and notes that the reverse was likely being tested before the change. All 1993 business-strike cents use the Close AM format, while normal 1992 business strikes are generally Wide AM.

The reverse may have been paired with a 1992 obverse during late-year testing or production, but the Mint has not published a complete explanation for every known pairing. The defensible conclusion is the visible transition from the normal 1992 Wide AM reverse to the 1993 Close AM design.

No. Close AM describes the reverse design and its transitional placement in a 1992 business strike. A doubled die is created when a working die receives a doubled hub impression, producing a separate kind of repeatable doubling. A Close AM coin is not a DDO merely because the AM looks unusual, and a blurry doubled-looking edge is not enough to claim a doubled die.

The table uses PCGS auction pages and PCGS-published references checked September 18, 2026. eBay listings, Etsy prices, Facebook posts and dealer asking prices are not used as proof of market value.