Lincoln cent · 1992 and 1992-D · reverse variety

1992 Close AM Penny: What It’s Worth and How to Spot One

A 1992-D Close AM penny sold for $1,140 lightly worn (AU58) in February 2025, and uncirculated ones bring $2,640 to $9,600. The rarer 1992 Philadelphia version (no mint mark) holds the record at $25,850. Turn the coin over: on a Close AM the A and M in AMERICA almost touch.

Updated October 22, 2026 · 9 sources

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1992 Close AM reverse · Photo: PCGS

Year and mint: 1992 (Philadelphia, no mark) and 1992-D (Denver)
What’s different: The 1993-style back: A and M in AMERICA close together
How many: 1992: fewer than 20 graded by PCGS · 1992-D: about 85 certified (2018)
Out of: Over 9 billion 1992 cents
Variety: FS-901 · PCGS #412708 (1992), #83099–83101 (1992-D)
Metal: Copper-plated zinc (97.5% zinc)

What it’s worth

Most Close AM cents found are 1992-D. These are real auction results including the buyer’s premium. Red (RD) coins keep their bright copper color; Brown (BN) are toned.

Condition	Price	Sale
1992-D · AU58, barely worn (PCGS)	$1,140	Heritage, February 2025 · source
1992-D · MS63 Brown, uncirculated (NGC)	$1,440	Heritage, March 2024 · source
1992-D · MS64 Brown, uncirculated (NGC)	$2,640	Heritage, November 2025 · source
1992-D · MS65 Red, gem (PCGS)	$8,400	Heritage, April 2021 · source
1992-D · MS66 Red, gem (PCGS)	$9,600	Heritage, November 2023 · source
1992 (no mark) · MS64 Red (PCGS)	$8,812.50	Heritage, February 2016 · source

$25,850The record: a 1992 Philadelphia Close AM, PCGS MS67 Red, Heritage, January 2017 · source

The best-documented 1992-D record is $14,100 for a PCGS MS65 Red at Heritage in February 2014 (CoinWeek). CPG’s current retail guide lists a 1992-D MS66 Red at $11,000.

How to tell if you have one

Check the date is 1992. A D under the date means Denver; no letter means Philadelphia, the rarer one.
Turn it over and find AMERICA along the top. On a Close AM the bottoms of the A and M almost touch. On a normal 1992 cent there’s a clear gap between them.
Check the FG initials at the lower right of the Memorial building. On a Close AM they sit farther from the building; on a normal 1992 they sit right next to it. Worn coins can make the A and M look closer, so check both.
Compare with any 1993 or newer cent from your change. Those all have the Close AM back, so a real 1992 Close AM matches them.
Have it certified by PCGS or NGC. Fakes made by joining a 1992 front to a newer back exist, and PCGS has caught several.

Close AM: the A and M in AMERICA nearly touch — **Close AM.** The A and M nearly touch. Photo: PCGS

Wide AM: a clear gap between the A and M in AMERICA — **Normal 1992 (Wide AM).** A clear gap. Photo: PCGS

Coins that fool people

A normal 1992 cent (Wide AM)

Almost every 1992 cent has a clear gap between the A and M and the FG right next to the building. Wear can make the gap look smaller, so check the FG too.

Any 1993 or later cent

Every 1993 cent and almost every 1994 to 2008 cent has the Close AM back. It only matters with a 1992 date.

Two coins joined together

A 1992 front glued or fused to a later Close AM back. Under magnification you can see signs of the join, and grading services catch them.

1998, 1999 and 2000 Wide AM

The opposite mistake: later cents struck with the wide-gap back that was kept for proof coins. Also collectible, with the 1999 the rarest of the three.

The story

From 1959 through 1992, the back of the Lincoln cent had a wide gap between the A and M of AMERICA. For 1993 the Mint made a new back with the two letters close together.

A few 1992 cents at both Philadelphia and Denver were struck with the new 1993-style back, possibly as trials of the new dies. Nobody noticed for almost ten years.

A collector found the first 1992-D Close AM in December 2001. The first 1992 Philadelphia one was found in pocket change in Massachusetts in March 2006, and the second came out of a bank roll in Connecticut in 2009.

They still turn up in ordinary places: in 2018 a Michigan collector found a 1992-D Close AM in a gas station’s “take a penny, leave a penny” tray.

Check every 1992 penny you find

Close AM cents have been found in pocket change, bank rolls and a gas station penny tray. Scan the back of any 1992 cent and AnyCoins tells you what you have.

Open AnyCoins and photograph the heads side, then the tails side, in good light.
AnyCoins identifies the coin and checks it for known errors and varieties.
You see its condition estimate, a price range by condition and what the same coin has sold for.

Why collectors use AnyCoins

Photograph both sides and it names the coin: country, year, mint and denomination.
Values from real sales: a price range by condition and recent sales of the same coin, not a guess.
A condition estimate from your photos, so you know which row of the price table you’re in.
Checks the coin for known errors and varieties, the kind that turn a cent into thousands.
Melt value for silver and gold, and the mint that struck it on the Mint Map.

Questions people ask

How much is a 1992 Close AM penny worth?

A 1992-D sold for $1,140 in AU58 (February 2025) and $2,640 in MS64 Brown (November 2025) at Heritage. A 1992 Philadelphia Close AM in MS67 Red sold for $25,850 in 2017.

How do I know if my 1992 penny is a Close AM?

On the back, the A and M in AMERICA nearly touch, and the FG initials sit farther from the Memorial building than on a normal 1992 cent.

Which is rarer, the 1992 or the 1992-D Close AM?

The Philadelphia coin with no mint mark. PCGS has graded fewer than 20 of them, compared with about 85 certified 1992-D coins.

Why is the 1992 Close AM worth money?

It’s a 1992 cent struck with the back that was meant for 1993, a mistake made on very few coins out of more than 9 billion 1992 cents.

Sources

Prices are public auction results including the buyer’s premium unless marked as a price guide. A coin’s value depends on its exact condition and on having it certified by a grading service such as PCGS or NGC.