Ask a panel of coin collectors what the rarest regular-issue, non-variety Lincoln cent is, and assuredly many, perhaps even most, would spit out a reference to the 1909-S VDB. But ask a group of veteran Lincoln cent collectors what the rarest Lincoln penny is, and one will probably hear at least a few collectors reply with a word or two about the 1926-S Lincoln cent. The 1926-S Lincoln cent has long been one of the toughest coins to find in top Mint State grades, especially with a strong strike and clean surfaces.

The 1926-S Lincoln cent is not a rare bird in the circulated grades. Pricey' Yes, even in worn grades, the 1926-S penny runs a bit higher grade for grade in terms of price than many of its S-mint contemporaries. In Gem Red' This coin is nearly impossible to find. Fully struck, lustrous examples are the real holy grail of Lincoln cent collecting. Need proof' Guess what regular-issue Lincoln cent takes the cake as the most-expensive non-variety Lincoln penny ever sold' None other than the 1926-S, which holds the record with a $149,500 hammer price on a top-grading PCGS MS65RD specimen sold in 2004.