I just found one that read 197 as well. I am trying to find out myself. If I get any good info I will post it here.
I Have A Lincoln Penny Missing The Last Digit In The Date, Reading 194 Only, What Is The Approximate Value?
The last digit is missing because the die that it was made with had grease where the last digit in the date is located. Errors of this type are hard to appraise since there are so few ever discovered.
I have the same Lincoln wheat cent as well- 194?. I have done some research and I see this is not a lone penny- so I am wondering if it truly may be a mint error. How many with the same error needs to be found for it to be identified as a mint error? Any info would be great!