The ONLY Proof Ike Dollar Mated Pair On A Dime & Nickel Planchet NGC PF65 UNIQUE
US $50,000
Ebay
1940 S Lincoln cent, PCGS graded, 180° rotated dies mint error.
US $25,000
Grade
VF 25
Grading service
PCGS
Cert number
—
Certification
—
Date
2026-06-09
Category
—
Sub category
—
Dealer
Description
The old listing for this item can be found at the end of this update.
Update Nov. 15, 2025
During the listing of this coin I’ve received dozens of emails from people claiming that they have a 180° rotated U.S. minted coin. The only way anyone is going to believe that you have a 180° rotated coin is to have it graded by a legitimate third party grading service. I have also provided illustrations which should help anyone to determine if their coin is rotated and worth having it graded. If you can’t afford the TPGS’s membership then find a friend or ask your local coin dealer. If you think the coin is special then treat it like it, by having it graded.
Like they say, a picture of a coin encapsulated by a TPGS is worth more than a thousand words. Or something like that.
Also, I didn’t think I would have to mention this, but… I heard from a person that claimed that they had an even better coin because it was 270° rotated. I had to inform them that they had a 90° counterclockwise rotated coin. Still a good find, but not the best among rotation errors. The king of all rotations is the 180° rotation, and the rarest of all rotations to be found.
I was also asked if I would except offers for this coin, although this listing does not accept offers. I consider all fair offers on all of the items in my store, no matter if solicited or unsolicited. But to avoid the look of any backdoor dealings, the asking price may change for 24 hours, to accommodate any serious party’s offer.
The following is a slightly altered version of the original listing for those of you that are still interested.
7/15/2024 - I read in several numismatic periodicals that there has never been a 180° Lincoln cent to be graded by a Third Party Grading Service. As you can see, I had my 180° rotated Lincoln cent graded by PCGS.
There has been some discussion as to how such a mint error could happen.
Thought #1 – Loose die. That would mean that this coin is a one-of-a-kind but also that there should be some 1940-S Lincoln cents with some weird orientations.
Thought #2 – Medallic alignment. Meaning some mint worker installed a die in the wrong orientation. Which would mean that there should be several thousand 180° rotated 1940-S Lincoln cents out there.
8/15/2024 - I have received messages from collectors that claim that they have been collecting rotation errors for decades. They also claim to have NEVER seen a 180° rotated Lincoln cent. You would think that if this coin was the product of medallic alignment that one of these collectors would have found at least one 180° rotated 1940 S Lincoln cent over their years of searching. Also, one mentioned that they own a 1940 S Lincoln cent that is 40° rotated. And through my own research I found someone selling a 1940 S Lincoln cent that is 70° rotated.
Although not empirical evidence, it is good anecdotal evidence indicating that medallic alignment is not the cause of this error. This coin is a true “one-of-kind” mint error made by a loose die. So you could say that this coin was made by a very odd twist of fate.
8/30/2024 - While going through my own collection I have found several 1940 S Lincoln cents to be slightly rotated, but by less than 20 degrees. And oddly enough the rotations seem to always be in the counterclockwise direction.
Also, while going through my own collection of rotations I noticed a number of 1925 D and 1963 D Lincoln cents.
If you have any information to add to this discussion please share.
10/1/2024 - I was recently asked about the difference between a normal Lincoln cent and a 180° rotated Lincoln cent so I created an illustration to explain the difference. I also feel that I should show the device I made to measure Lincoln cent rotations. Please see the additional photos.
11/1/2024 - I have received a couple of more messages from long time collectors that swear that they have never seen a 180° rotated Lincoln cent. Thank you for your kind words.
They have provided me with some useful information. For instance, before this coin, the graded coin with the largest degree of rotation is a 1984 coin with a 165° rotation. It was graded by PCGS as MS63RD.
1/31/2025 - I heard mention of possible other Lincoln cents that claim to be 180° rotated (1924-D and a 1993-D) but neither seem to have been graded by a TPGS, so I don’t know what to make of them.
If there is any new relevant news, I shall endeavor to update you good folks. And thanks for all of your kind messages.
I wish you good fortune in your coin collecting efforts.
Update Nov. 15, 2025
During the listing of this coin I’ve received dozens of emails from people claiming that they have a 180° rotated U.S. minted coin. The only way anyone is going to believe that you have a 180° rotated coin is to have it graded by a legitimate third party grading service. I have also provided illustrations which should help anyone to determine if their coin is rotated and worth having it graded. If you can’t afford the TPGS’s membership then find a friend or ask your local coin dealer. If you think the coin is special then treat it like it, by having it graded.
Like they say, a picture of a coin encapsulated by a TPGS is worth more than a thousand words. Or something like that.
Also, I didn’t think I would have to mention this, but… I heard from a person that claimed that they had an even better coin because it was 270° rotated. I had to inform them that they had a 90° counterclockwise rotated coin. Still a good find, but not the best among rotation errors. The king of all rotations is the 180° rotation, and the rarest of all rotations to be found.
I was also asked if I would except offers for this coin, although this listing does not accept offers. I consider all fair offers on all of the items in my store, no matter if solicited or unsolicited. But to avoid the look of any backdoor dealings, the asking price may change for 24 hours, to accommodate any serious party’s offer.
The following is a slightly altered version of the original listing for those of you that are still interested.
7/15/2024 - I read in several numismatic periodicals that there has never been a 180° Lincoln cent to be graded by a Third Party Grading Service. As you can see, I had my 180° rotated Lincoln cent graded by PCGS.
There has been some discussion as to how such a mint error could happen.
Thought #1 – Loose die. That would mean that this coin is a one-of-a-kind but also that there should be some 1940-S Lincoln cents with some weird orientations.
Thought #2 – Medallic alignment. Meaning some mint worker installed a die in the wrong orientation. Which would mean that there should be several thousand 180° rotated 1940-S Lincoln cents out there.
8/15/2024 - I have received messages from collectors that claim that they have been collecting rotation errors for decades. They also claim to have NEVER seen a 180° rotated Lincoln cent. You would think that if this coin was the product of medallic alignment that one of these collectors would have found at least one 180° rotated 1940 S Lincoln cent over their years of searching. Also, one mentioned that they own a 1940 S Lincoln cent that is 40° rotated. And through my own research I found someone selling a 1940 S Lincoln cent that is 70° rotated.
Although not empirical evidence, it is good anecdotal evidence indicating that medallic alignment is not the cause of this error. This coin is a true “one-of-kind” mint error made by a loose die. So you could say that this coin was made by a very odd twist of fate.
8/30/2024 - While going through my own collection I have found several 1940 S Lincoln cents to be slightly rotated, but by less than 20 degrees. And oddly enough the rotations seem to always be in the counterclockwise direction.
Also, while going through my own collection of rotations I noticed a number of 1925 D and 1963 D Lincoln cents.
If you have any information to add to this discussion please share.
10/1/2024 - I was recently asked about the difference between a normal Lincoln cent and a 180° rotated Lincoln cent so I created an illustration to explain the difference. I also feel that I should show the device I made to measure Lincoln cent rotations. Please see the additional photos.
11/1/2024 - I have received a couple of more messages from long time collectors that swear that they have never seen a 180° rotated Lincoln cent. Thank you for your kind words.
They have provided me with some useful information. For instance, before this coin, the graded coin with the largest degree of rotation is a 1984 coin with a 165° rotation. It was graded by PCGS as MS63RD.
1/31/2025 - I heard mention of possible other Lincoln cents that claim to be 180° rotated (1924-D and a 1993-D) but neither seem to have been graded by a TPGS, so I don’t know what to make of them.
If there is any new relevant news, I shall endeavor to update you good folks. And thanks for all of your kind messages.
I wish you good fortune in your coin collecting efforts.
