Rare 1940 Penny Errors (List & Pictures)
A 1940 cent cataloged on a foreign planchet sold for $805 in July 2006. The supplied records for 1940 penny errors also include much smaller features, from weak letters to an extra eyelid outline.
Estimated whole-coin values range from $2 to $3,000. Begin with the lettering and surface, then use the edge, thickness, and metal composition to separate lookalikes.
| What stands out | Check for | Estimated value |
|---|---|---|
| Missing or extra letter detail | Grease, doubled die, or repunched mintmark | $2–$600 |
| Raised line or patch | Die break | $2–$1,000 |
| Peeling or unusually thin metal | Lamination, split blank, or thin planchet | $5–$450 |
| Narrow recessed trace | Wire struck-through | $75–$1,000 |
| Gap or expanded border | Clip or broadstrike | $40–$750 |
| Shifted design | Misalignment or off-center strike | $5–$1,200 |
| Unusual thickness or color | Reported stock or nonstandard blank | $100–$3,000 |
A normal cent of this year contains 95% copper, with tin and zinc making up the remainder. Its usual weight is 3.11 grams and its diameter 19.05 millimeters; record actual measurements without removing a certified coin from its holder.
1. 1940 Penny A Letter Fades beside Clear Detail: Grease-Filled Design Error
Grease or compacted debris inside a die can prevent metal from filling part of the design. A local feature then emerges weak even though nearby details formed normally.
How to Identify
Compare neighboring features of similar height and a normal penny with similar wear. Uniformly worn high points, sanding lines, or a generally weak strike can explain missing detail without grease.
The 1940 report supplies no fixed letter, digit, or mint. Do not turn a general error description into a specific missing-date variety.
What It’s Worth
Estimate $2–$100 for a convincing grease-filled design error. Small weak areas commonly add little value.
This comparison-based range is not a recorded sale of a particular 1940 coin. The original surface must support the blocked-design explanation.
2. 1940 Penny A Second Outline in the Design: Doubled Die Error
Extra eye, letter, or wheat detail can come from a design duplicated in the die itself. Reported ordinary-strike varieties involve Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco, with front and reverse features requiring separate matches.
How to Identify
Determine the mint and whether the coin is an ordinary strike or a specially made Proof. No mintmark by itself does not distinguish the two Philadelphia finishes.
The reported Proof has close doubling at 40 in the date and E in WE. Ordinary coins need their own diagnostic photographs; a shiny surface or a flat shelf beside a letter is not sufficient.
What It’s Worth
The estimated whole-coin range is $10–$600: ordinary minor varieties commonly fall around $10–$300, while matched Proof or stronger preserved varieties may fit $50–$600. These estimates are based on comparable small Wheat cent varieties.
No auction record is supplied for each reported die. Much of a Proof’s value can come from its overall preservation rather than the slight doubling.
3. 1940 Penny An Earlier D or S Remains Visible: Repunched Mintmark Error
Each mint letter was punched into the die by hand. Repeated punches in slightly different positions could leave a recognizable portion of an earlier D or S beside the final one.
How to Identify
Trace the main letter, then compare the extra metal with the same letter’s curve or upright. Denver varieties have different separation directions, while San Francisco reports include multiple outlines and a triple impression.
Match the specific mint and direction rather than any example labeled RPM. A crack elsewhere may support a die match, but it is not the repunched letter itself.
What It’s Worth
Estimated values span $5–$300, with minor worn examples around $5–$75 and clearer, better-preserved varieties around $75–$300. These are comparison ranges, not supplied auction results.
If the coin also has doubling or a die break, assess the combination as one collectible.
4. 1940 Penny Raised Bars, Cracks, and Rim Patches: Die Breaks Error
A cracked die leaves a raised line, while a missing piece can leave a larger lump. A rim-connected break is a cud; a broken section that remains in the die may still stamp displaced detail and is called a retained cud.
How to Identify
Check LIBERTY carefully before naming a small chip. A BIE sits between B and E, while the reported San Francisco ILI lump lies left of L and below its base.
For a large patch, look for surviving shifted design inside it or a design-free area connected to the rim. Those observations distinguish a retained break, a full cud, and a simple raised crack.
What It’s Worth
Estimate $2–$1,000 across these forms: small cracks and chips about $2–$75, and more visible retained breaks or full cuds about $40–$1,000. Later added material does not qualify.
A 1946-S major break graded ANACS AU50 sold for $288 in March 2021. It is a different-year comparison for a substantial break, not a price for every tiny 1940 line.
5. 1940 Penny A Local Layer Peels Away: Lamination Error
A seam inside the alloy can release a small flap or a larger surface layer. Because a 1940 cent is not copper-plated zinc, this is separation within the metal rather than ordinary plating loss.
How to Identify
Follow the thin layer’s boundary under low side lighting without lifting it. A connected seam differs from scattered corrosion pits or a scraped patch.
The general 1940 lamination report does not establish one face or location. If a piece has already detached, keep it with the coin without attempting to reattach it.
What It’s Worth
Genuine local laminations are estimated at $5–$250. Larger, clearly original separations usually provide stronger evidence and visual interest than tiny flaws.
A 1952-D front lamination brought $35 in July 2013. That later Wheat cent supplies context rather than a direct price for the reported 1940 type.
6. 1940 Penny A Light Disc with Less Thickness: Thin Planchet Error
The reported 1940-S thin-planchet coin has the general cent outline but less metal available to fill the dies. It was graded PCGS MS63 Red and Brown.
How to Identify
Measure the actual thickness at several points and record the weight. Inspect both faces and the edge for grinding or sanding through already struck detail.
The listing establishes thinness without specifying why the stock became thin. It does not automatically establish that the blank split.
What It’s Worth
Authenticated thin-planchet examples of this type are estimated at $40–$350. The extent of thinning and the clarity of the struck design affect the comparison.
A 1963 split-planchet cent weighing 1.6 grams sold for $159 in June 2024. Its specific cause and measurement must not be assigned to the 1940-S example.
7. 1940 Penny Design Struck onto a Split Layer: Split Planchet before Striking Error
A separated layer can receive the cent design after the blank has split. The important clue is newly struck detail on the exposed inner surface.
How to Identify
Study the rough face for lettering or portrait detail impressed into it. A finished coin that loses a layer afterward can expose an inner surface without that newly stamped design.
The documented Philadelphia example was graded ANACS AU50. Its exact weight is not supplied, and a separated layer need not weigh exactly half a normal cent.
What It’s Worth
Estimated value is $40–$450 for confirmed pre-strike split-planchet cents of this type. Clear evidence of the sequence and stronger preservation support a better comparison.
The ANACS AU50 1940 coin sold for $79 in January 2023. That result concerns the actual split layer rather than a blank merely described as thin.
8. 1940 Penny A Narrow Impression Crosses the Surface: Struck Through Wire Error
Wire between the die and planchet can block the design while pressing its own outline into the metal. The recorded Philadelphia example was described as struck through wire and graded PCGS AU55.
How to Identify
Inspect where the depression meets normal design detail. A wire present during striking prevents detail from forming there; a later scratch cuts through detail that already existed.
The description does not establish a retained wire or a universal path across the coin. Leave any material in place rather than probing the impression.
What It’s Worth
A confirmed wire impression has an estimated whole-coin range of $75–$1,000. Visibility, condition, and the original impression boundary guide the assessment.
The PCGS AU55 example sold for $219.60 on June 29, 2026. There is no basis to add a retained-object premium simply because wire caused its mark.
9. 1940 Penny Missing Metal or an Unfinished Punch Line: Clipped Blanks Error
A clip can remove part of a blank, while an incomplete punch leaves a line where separation did not finish. Both types originate during blank preparation.
How to Identify
A San Francisco example combines an incomplete clip with a rim clip, so inspect both the line through attached metal and the missing section. The line should not be confused with a raised die crack.
A different NGC MS64 Brown coin combines a 40% curved clip with broadstriking. Examine natural rim transitions at the gap and the expanded outline, checking for later cutting.
What It’s Worth
The two reported combinations are estimated at $50–$750, depending on clarity and preservation. Each combination receives one whole-coin estimate.
A simpler ICG MS61 Brown 1940 clipped cent sold for $16 in September 2009. That transaction does not price the large clip-and-broadstrike specimen.
10. 1940 Penny Extra Width around Complete Designs: Broadstrike Error
A blank can spread beyond normal width when its retaining collar fails to contain the strike. The full intended design remains on the enlarged disc, even if the border spreads unevenly.
How to Identify
Check every outer word on both faces and compare the measured width with an ordinary cent. Hammering after minting can also widen a coin but damages already formed detail.
The reported 1940-S is graded NGC MS64 Brown. Its plain edge is normal for the denomination; the original expansion is the relevant feature.
What It’s Worth
Genuine 1940 broadstrikes are estimated at $40–$450. More visible spread and better surfaces can support stronger prices.
A Philadelphia example graded NGC AU53 sold for $42 in March 2021. It is a same-year, lightly worn comparison, not the price of the unworn San Francisco piece.
11. 1940 Penny Uneven Borders on One Face: Misaligned Die Error
A die shifted sideways can place one design off its intended center while the opposite face stays centered. This differs from moving the entire blank between the tools.
How to Identify
Use matching straight-on pictures of both faces to compare the design position inside the metal outline. Inspect the edge for bending or other damage that could create a false impression of displacement.
The supplied 1940 report has no universal mint or direction. Tiny ordinary border differences are insufficient to establish a collectible error.
What It’s Worth
Estimate $5–$150 for a clear and genuine 1940 misalignment. The upper portion requires more than a barely uneven rim.
The range uses comparable one-face alignment errors rather than a supplied 1940 sale or a large off-center price.
12. 1940 Penny A Blank Crescent beside Missing Design: Off-Center Strike Error
The unused area remains part of the original disc. It received no design because the blank sat away from the center of the dies.
How to Identify
Confirm enough date survives to establish 1940, then check whether both incomplete designs fit the same displaced blank. Missing mintmark detail on an unstruck area does not identify Philadelphia.
Philadelphia reports range from 5% to 40%, including a 20% shift toward eight o’clock. Separate San Francisco reports include 25% toward ten o’clock and an 80% off-center coin.
What It’s Worth
Estimated values run $25–$1,200 for genuine 1940 off-center cents. Readable dates and original surfaces matter alongside the amount of missing design.
A 1948-D cent struck 85% off center brought $336 in January 2022. That later sale cannot be assigned to the reported 1940-S 80% example.
13. 1940 Penny Reported Extra Thickness: Five-Cent Stock Error
One reported 1940 AU55 coin was described as using five-cent-thickness stock and weighing 3.2 grams. Stock means the strip from which blanks are cut, rather than a complete nickel blank.
How to Identify
The reported weight is only slightly above the normal 3.11 grams and cannot prove the strip’s identity. Thickness measurements, alloy testing, and examination of the original struck surfaces must support the claim.
Check the edge for coatings or joined pieces that could thicken a finished cent. Keep the description conditional until the proposed stock error is established.
What It’s Worth
A confirmed example matching this reported stock error is estimated at $150–$1,500. No completed sale is supplied for the 3.2-gram piece.
A 1944 thick-planchet cent at about 4.30 grams sold for $198 in September 2025. It is a related comparison with a materially different weight and year.
14. 1940 Penny The Alloy Does Not Match a Normal Cent: Nonstandard Blanks Error
Three records describe different starting metals: an unnamed foreign blank, brass, and a copper-silver mixture called billon. A change in color alone cannot distinguish them from altered ordinary cents.
How to Identify
Use non-destructive composition testing together with weight, size, and the design’s fit on the disc. Inspect for plating without scratching the surface.
The billon report specifies 88.5% copper, 11.5% silver, and 3.2 grams, with a filed edge. Those figures and that later damage belong to this one specimen, not the brass or unidentified foreign-planchet coins.
What It’s Worth
The overall estimated range is $100–$3,000: confirmed brass or copper-silver pieces about $100–$1,500, and the documented foreign-planchet category about $400–$3,000. Reliable metal identification and condition are essential.
The ANACS MS62 foreign-planchet cent sold for $805 in July 2006. Its catalog identification did not name a country.
The XF40 brass example brought $104 in December 2004, while the filed copper-silver coin realized $299 in February 2005. These older transactions concern separate objects.
Conclusion
A useful identification explains both what looks unusual and when it formed. Peeling after striking, a split layer struck afterward, and a thin blank can all reduce metal while leaving different evidence.
Preserve that evidence and compare each coin with its own mint, finish, and error type. The $2–$3,000 estimates are broad guides; uncertain metal descriptions need verification before their larger figures become meaningful.
