Wheat Penny Value Guide: Which 1909-1958 Pennies Are Worth Money
If you've found a jar of old pennies with two stalks of wheat on the back, you're holding Lincoln wheat cents, struck from 1909 to 1958. Most of them are worth 3 to 10 cents each. A small group of dates sells for hundreds or thousands of dollars, and a few mint errors have brought six figures at auction.
This guide covers which wheat pennies are worth money, how to check the date and mint mark, and how condition changes the price.
What is a wheat penny?
The Lincoln cent was released in 1909 to mark 100 years since Abraham Lincoln's birth. Victor David Brenner designed it, with Lincoln's portrait on the front and two ears of wheat framing ONE CENT on the back. In 1959, the Mint replaced the wheat design with the Lincoln Memorial, which is why collectors call the earlier coins "wheaties."
The Mint made billions of these coins, so most dates are very common. Nearly all are 95% copper. The exceptions are 1943, when cents were made from zinc-coated steel to save copper for the war, and 1944 to 1946, when some were struck from recycled shell casing brass. You can read more about the history of U.S. coinage on the U.S. Mint website.
Step 1: Find the date and mint mark
The mint mark is the small letter just below the date on the front of the coin.
- No letter: Philadelphia
- D: Denver
- S: San Francisco
A 5x or 10x magnifier makes this much easier, especially on worn coins. As a rule, D and S cents from 1909 through the early 1930s are where the valuable coins hide, because those mints often struck far fewer coins than Philadelphia.
The key dates worth looking for
These are the dates collectors need to finish a set, and they carry real premiums even when heavily worn. Values below are approximate retail ranges for original, problem-free coins as of November 2026. Prices move, so treat them as a starting point.
Date | Mintage | Why it matters | Worn (Good) | Light wear (Extremely Fine) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1909-S VDB | 484,000 | Lowest mintage of the series, with the designer's initials VDB on the back | $700 to $900 | $1,200 to $1,600 |
1922 No D (strong reverse) | Unknown | A worn Denver die left no mint mark on some coins | $500 to $800 | $4,000 to $8,000 |
1914-D | 1,193,000 | Low mintage and heavily used in circulation | $150 to $250 | $1,500 to $2,500 |
1931-S | 866,000 | Struck during the Depression when few coins were needed | $90 to $130 | $150 to $200 |
1909-S | 1,825,000 | First-year San Francisco coin without the initials | $80 to $120 | $250 to $350 |
1924-D | 2,520,000 | Semi-key date, scarce in better condition | $30 to $45 | $150 to $250 |
1926-S | 4,550,000 | Semi-key date, very hard to find with little wear | $8 to $15 | $50 to $90 |
The 1909-S VDB and 1914-D are the most faked wheat pennies. Common tricks include gluing an S onto a Philadelphia 1909 VDB or altering a 1944-D to read 1914-D. If you think you have one, have it checked before you buy or sell it.
Errors and varieties that sell for big money
Some of the most valuable wheat pennies are mistakes.
1955 Doubled Die Obverse. The date and the words LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST show strong, obvious doubling that you can see without a magnifier. Worn examples usually sell for $1,000 to $2,000, and an exceptional uncirculated one sold for about $124,000 through GreatCollections, as reported by CoinWeek.
1943 copper cent. A few leftover bronze blanks were struck with the 1943 date when all cents were supposed to be steel. Only a small number are known, and genuine ones sell for $100,000 or more. Start with a magnet. A steel cent sticks, a copper one does not. Be careful, because many fakes are copper-plated steel or 1948 cents with the 8 altered to a 3.
1944 steel cent. This is the reverse mistake: a leftover steel blank struck in 1944. These are also extremely rare and worth tens of thousands of dollars.
1922 No D. Covered in the table above. Look for a cent dated 1922 with no letter below the date. Only coins with a strong, clear reverse bring the top prices.
How condition changes the price
Two coins with the same date can be worth $5 and $500 depending on wear. Here is a quick way to judge your coin without professional training:
- Good: The design is worn flat, but the date and lettering are readable.
- Fine: Some detail remains. On the back, about half the lines in the wheat stalks are visible.
- Extremely Fine: Only light wear on Lincoln's cheekbone and jaw, with nearly all wheat lines sharp.
- Uncirculated: No wear at all. These are graded by color as Red, Red-Brown, or Brown, with Red bringing the highest prices.
The wheat lines are the easiest test. Turn the coin over and check whether you can see the fine parallel lines in each stalk. The more lines you can count, the less wear the coin has.
The PCGS Photograde tool lets you compare your coin side by side with photos of each grade.
What common wheat pennies are worth
Most wheat pennies from the 1940s and 1950s are worth 3 to 10 cents each in circulated condition. Dealers often sell them by the roll or by the pound. Common 1943 steel cents usually bring 10 to 50 cents if they are worn but not rusty.
There is one exception worth knowing. A common date in full original red uncirculated condition can be worth a few dollars or more, and top-graded examples of some ordinary dates sell for far more than you would expect. Before you dump a roll of old pennies, sort out any that look brand new.
Don't clean your coins
This is the most expensive mistake new collectors make. Cleaning, polishing, or dipping a coin removes its original surface, and that cannot be undone. A cleaned key date can lose half its value or more, and grading services will label it as cleaned instead of giving it a normal grade. Keep coins as they are and handle them by the edges.
Is it worth getting a wheat penny graded?
Professional grading from PCGS or NGC costs roughly $20 to $50 or more per coin, plus shipping and any membership fees. That makes sense for key dates, errors, and high-grade uncirculated coins. It does not make sense for a circulated 1951 cent worth a dime.
A good test: if the coin would be worth at least a few hundred dollars graded, it is usually worth sending in. Certification also protects you from fakes when you sell.
How to find what your wheat penny is actually worth
Price guides are useful, but many list asking prices or are updated only a few times a year. What a coin really sold for recently is a better measure.
Once you know your coin's date, mint mark, and rough grade, you can look up recent sold prices by date and grade on Coinsel. The PCGS price guide and the NGC price guide are also good references for graded coins.
Quick checklist for your wheat pennies
- Check the date and look for a D or S below it.
- Set aside any 1909-S, 1909-S VDB, 1914-D, 1922, 1924-D, 1926-S, and 1931-S.
- Look at every 1955 for doubling and test every 1943 with a magnet.
- Pull out any coin that looks uncirculated, no matter the date.
- Count the wheat lines on the back to judge wear.
- Look up recent sold prices before you sell anything.
Most jars of wheat pennies turn out to be worth a few dollars in total. Checking them is still worth an afternoon, because one key date can pay for the whole hobby.
Found something you can't identify? Leave a comment with the date, mint mark, and a description, and I'll help you figure it out.
Note for you (not part of the post): The table values are approximate ranges for problem-free coins. Before publishing, spot-check the 1909-S VDB, 1914-D, and 1922 No D figures against the PCGS and NGC price guides, since those three move the most. Sources used: CoinWeek on the 1955 DDO sale, Gainesville Coins wheat penny guide, Coinfully wheat penny guide.
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