1999 Wide AM penny sells for over $3,000

A 1999 Lincoln cent sold for $3,037.50 on the GreatCollections marketplace. The coin belongs to a rare variety known as the Wide AM. Collectors identify it by a visible gap between the letters A and M in the word AMERICA on the reverse side.

Most standard 1999 pennies have those two letters nearly touching. The Wide AM variant separates them with clear space. To find this error, owners must flip the coin and inspect the back with a magnifier. The designer Frank Gasparro also moved his initials, FG, closer to the Lincoln Memorial in this specific version.

The error occurred at the Philadelphia Mint. Workers used a reverse die intended for special proof coins to strike regular circulation pennies. A die is the metal stamp that presses the design into the blank coin. This mistake created a unique look that standard production did not have.

The specific coin that sold for over $3,000 received a grade of MS-68 RD from PCGS. The MS-68 grade indicates the coin has no wear from circulation and is in high condition on a scale of 70. The RD designation means it retains at least 95% of its original red color. This high state of preservation helped drive the price.

GreatCollections lists this error as catalog number FS-901. The company notes that 1998 and 2000 Wide AM pennies also exist, but the 1999 version is the rarest of the three. No exact production count is known for this specific variation. The coin weighs 2.5 grams and measures 19 millimeters in diameter. It is made of zinc with a copper coating.

GreatCollections has sold 35 examples of the 1999 Wide AM RD in the last 16 years. Prices for those coins ranged from $70 to roughly $3,038. The grades for those sales fell between 63 and 68. This data shows that finding the error does not guarantee a high value. Owners should check the condition of the coin with a specialist before expecting a premium price.