RD, RB, and BN Pennies Explained – What’s the Difference?

 

What’s the Difference Between RD, RB, and BN Cents? 

If you’ve ever looked up the value of your wheat penny, you may have seen the letters RD, RB, or BN listed beside the coin’s denomination. These designations are used to describe the color of graded copper coins – usually U.S. cents. Although minted copper coins are originally reddish in color, they can fade over time as their original mint color and shine fade away. The result? Many of the old U.S. wheat pennies you find appear to be either reddish-brown or brown.

Believe it or not, the color of your copper penny can directly impact its rarity and value to collectors. Three main designations are used by major grading companies to describe the coloration of copper coins, including pennies:

• RD (Red).
• RB (Red-Brown).
• BN (Brown). 

On certain extremely rare coins, RD specimens are so rare that they can sell for tens of thousands of dollars. On other cents that are newer or more common, red coins are very common and carry only a marginal premium over their general market values. In other words, the color of your cent is only one of several factors that help determine its value to collectors.

We’ll dive deeper into the world of copper coin coloration designations on this page. Here, you’ll learn what RD, RB, and BN mean on copper coins, which color is the most valuable, how to find the color designation of your copper penny, and more.

U.S. Cent Designations – Red, Red-Brown, and Brown

Authoritative grading companies usually employ one of three designations to describe a copper coin’s coloration, each one represented by two letters: RD, RB, or BN.

The rarest and typically most valuable designation, RD, describes that a copper coin’s color is still red. Wheat pennies and other copper coins are red when they are minted, so it is uncommon to see especially old copper coins still displaying their reddish tint. RB coins are reddish-brown and feature only a portion of their original red coloration. BN copper coins are brown, meaning that all or nearly all of their original red color has diminished over time.

What is an RD Penny?

Pennies labeled “RD” are red-colored, which means that they’ve maintained their original coloration from when they were minted. RD is the rarest color designation a copper coin can receive, since the vast majority of coins are exposed to the elements and eventually lose their original reddish luster over the course of their circulation.

To qualify for an RD (red) designation, a penny or other copper coin needs to meet two qualifications:

1. Receive a grade of MS60 or higher.
2. Maintain 95% or more of its reddish mint coloration.

This is part of what makes red pennies so rare, especially in limited mintage years. To qualify as a true, graded RD penny, your coin needs to both receive an excellent grade of MS60 or higher and maintain 19/20ths of its original mint red color. 

What is an RB Penny?

Red-brown pennies are represented by the RB designation. RB coins are relatively common compared to their RD counterparts, meaning that investors can save money while buying rare pennies by targeting red-brown specimens instead of RD ones. 

Coin grading companies like PCGS also designate certain standards to determine which coins qualify for the RB label. To qualify for a red-brown (RB) designation, a copper coin must:

1. Grade at MS60 or higher.
2. Display 5%-95% of their original red color.

Some new collectors assume that RB pennies are more common than BN pennies, since the range of percentages of remaining red coloration in the RB category is larger than the range (<5%) allowed for a BN designation. However, this is not actually the case. Since RB pennies must qualify for a grade of MS60 or higher, they’re almost always harder to find than a brown penny, which requires no grade minimum.

What is a BN Penny?

BN is the most common designation you’ll find on copper coins, including copper wheat cents. BN, meaning brown, describes copper coins that have lost almost all of their original red coloration. BN pennies are generally heavily circulated and rarely grade in the mint-state range. 

To qualify for a BN (brown) designation, a copper coin needs to meet only one requirement:

• Display less than 5% of its original red coloration.

You’ll often find BN pennies and other copper coins in the wild, making this a common designation to see on copper U.S. coinage. Over time, the vast majority of copper coins are exposed to oxygen and change hands, which results in their reddish color slowly wearing down over time. 

Cent Colors and Values

Color designations can impact the value of copper coins, including wheat pennies. For the most part, RD (red) pennies are considered the most valuable color your copper cents can have. By contrast, BN (brown) copper coins are very common and are typically considered the least valuable of the three coloration designations.

Are RD Pennies the Most Valuable?

RD pennies are usually more valuable than pennies labeled RB or BN, but there are a few exceptions. Remember that the value of a coin depends on several factors, and the color of your copper penny is only one consideration used to determine its market value. This means that an RB coin can sometimes be more valuable than an RD coin, especially if the former has secured a much higher grade than the latter.

But since RD pennies must both be MS60 or better and contain nearly all of their original mint coloration, they are generally more valuable than RB and BN coins from the same year and mint. 

Here’s What Causes Pennies to Change Color

Copper coins like wheat pennies are minted with a reddish color. But over time, these coins often either turn into a mixture of red and brown or become entirely brown. What causes pennies to change color? Pennies (and other copper coins) change color because of a chemical reaction known as oxidation. When exposed to oxygen in the air, a chemical reaction occurs, changing the reddish color of copper into brown. 

This is why red copper coins are relatively hard to find. These coins have been spared from the oxidation process that plagues most old copper pennies and other coins.

Do Other Coins Use RD, RB, and BN Designations?

Wheat pennies aren’t the only U.S. coins that can be described as red (RD), red-brown (RB), or brown (BN). Any coin primarily made with copper can be graded and labeled with these coloration designations, although copper pennies are the most commonly traded coins that use such a system.

How to Find a Penny’s Color Designation 

The best way to find out if your penny is red (RD) at home is to take a close look at it, preferably under a coin microscope. For red coins, you’re looking for at least 95% of the original mint red. Reddish-brown coins can range from 5-95% of the coin’s surface covered in the mint’s original red color. Brown coins should be easy to identify, as they’ll usually feature virtually none of their original mint red. 

In practice, it’s often better to send coins you think may be rare or valuable to a grading service, such as PCGS or NGC. This is the case because it can be difficult to reliably grade coins at home, and both RD and RB copper coins need to meet a minimum grade of MS60 to qualify as a true RD or RB specimen. 

Final Thoughts: What Do RD, RB, and BN Mean For U.S. Cents?

If you’re curious about what RD, RB, and BN mean when applied to copper coins like wheat pennies, you’ve come to the right place. These three designations represent the different colors that circulated and uncirculated copper coins can have. RD coins are over 95% red and graded MS60 or higher, RB coins are anywhere from 5-95% red and graded MS60 or higher, and BN coins contain less than 5% of their original mint red coloration and can be any grade.

While it may seem like a minor distinction to new collectors, it’s important for rare coin dealers and investors to know that the color of a copper coin can closely impact its value and rarity.

You might also be interested in: 

• What is a Doubled Die Penny?
• How Much is a 1943 Steel Penny Worth?
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