List of Valuable Lincoln Wheat Pennies (1909-1958) (2023)

FAQs

How do I know if my 1958 penny is valuable? ›

The 1958 pennies minted in Philadelphia include a handful with a double die error on the obverse side. Look for evidence of doubling on the word “Liberty” and the motto “In God We Trust”. Red 1958 pennies with this error are both rare and extremely valuable.

Today, the 1909-S VDB penny is highly sought after by collectors and considered one of the most valuable coins. While not as rare or valuable as some mintage errors within the Lincoln wheat cent series from 1909-1958, it is one of the most valuable a non mintage error coins within the wheat penny series.

However, the 1959-D Mule Error Coin was the only coin with wheat stalks on the reverse produced in 1959. These made it the most valuable and rare 1959 error penny worth $50,000.

Mint mark: Look for the small letter on the coin's reverse side (under the wreath) that indicates where the coin was minted. If there is a “D” (for Denver) or an “S” (for San Francisco) mint mark, the coin may be worth more to collectors than a standard 1958 penny without a mint mark.

How Much is a 1909-S VDB Penny Worth Today? According to estimates, a 1909 S VDB Wheat Penny is worth $950.00 in standard condition, whereas a penny in immaculate condition would be for $4,150.00. A 1909-S VDB in MS 67 RD was acquired for $117,500 in 2014, breaking the previous record associated with this coin.

Watch for low mintage years like 1955-S, 1939-D, 1933-D, and 1931-S. Depending on condition, rarer pennies are worth more. Look for all-copper pennies. Old pennies made before 1982 are 95% copper, which gives them an inherent metal value.

A 1958 penny just sold for over one million dollars. The penny, which had a mistake shown on some of its letters, sold for a record $1,136,250.

Key-Date issues of the Lincoln cent series include the 1909-S V.D.B., the 1909-S, the 1914-D and the 1931-S. Semi-Key Dates, in great demand but not among the scarcest issues, include the "S" mint mark Lincolns of 1910-1915 as well as the 1924-D and 1926-S cents.

“There are millions and millions of wheat pennies and most commonly they trade for three-to-five cents a piece. If you're looking for a particular date, it can be much, much more than that. The rarest is the 1909 VDB. Those can be worth anywhere from $700 to $1,500 depending on the coin's grade.

How much is a 1958 wheat penny worth? ›

What is the Average 1958 Wheat Penny Worth? The average 1958 wheat penny in good condition is worth its face value. In uncirculated conditions, they can be worth around 30 cents on average.

1944 wheat pennies were only made of copper and zinc from 1944 to 1946 due to a supply shortage of tin. Within the tin element in the composition of this metal, these coins were brass, not bronze.

USA Coin Book Estimated Value of 1959 Lincoln Memorial Penny is Worth $0.23 to $1.16 or more in Uncirculated (MS+) Mint Condition. Proof coins can be worth $3.38 or more. Click here to Learn How to use Coin Price Charts.

A 1964 D penny is considered rare for a few reasons. First, only about 1% of all pennies minted in 1964 were of the D-mint variety. Second, the Denver Mint, where the D pennies were made, had a higher-than-average number of coins rejected due to quality control issues.

The 1950 Lincoln penny is especially sought after by collectors. For one, the coins are valuable due to the scarcity that comes inherent with a coin that is so old. Secondly, the number of well-preserved pieces is dwindling, so it is crucial that collectors get their hands on them sooner rather than later.

1) 1944 Steel Wheat Penny - $408,000. 2) 1943 Copper Wheat Penny - $250,000. 3) 1856 Flying Eagle Penny - $25,000. 4) 1873 Indian Head Penny - $10,000.

The 1958 Doubled Die Obverse is the rarest and most valuable DDO error of all of the Lincoln Wheat Cent (Penny) series. There are only a handful known to exist and the coins are best identified by the very clear doubling of the legend "IN GOD WE TRUST" and the doubling of the word "LIBERTY" on the front of the coin.

The 1957 wheat penny is the penultimate one-cent coin in the wheat penny series. They were discontinued in 1958. The 1957 wheat pennies were minted in Philadelphia and Denver and produced in large quantities, which means they are not considered particularly rare.

The initials

It stands for Victor David Brenner, the Lithuanian engraver who designed the Lincoln portrait appearing on every penny since 1909.

Mintmark Positions

Compare the mintmark on any 1909-S VDB to the four positions shown below. If it does not match, the coin is almost certainly not genuine. In addition, all authentic examples will have a mintmark that features a small raised dot inside of the top curve of the “S.”

What is the error on a 1909 wheat penny? ›

The average value of "1909 vdb wheat penny error" is $23.75. Sold comparables range in price from a low of $5.25 to a high of $751.99.

The U.S. made about 7.7 billion pennies in 1983, but only about 5,000 of them are known to have been made with this doubling error, James McCartney, director of numismatics at Stack's Bowers Galleries, tells CNBC Make It. The rarity of these misprinted pennies are what make them more valuable than ordinary pennies.

Since 1909, the penny had been made with 95% copper. But because copper was getting more expensive in the 80s, they decided to make the penny with copper-plated zinc instead (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper). Because of this decision, some of the pennies in 1982 were made of bronze, while others were made of zinc.

A report from Reuters notes that a rare 1792 American penny sold at auction for $2.6 million in 2015. Only 10 of the “Birch Cent” coins, named after their engraver Robert Birch, are believed to exist.

A 1958 Lincoln, Doubled Die Obverse cent sold in a GreatCollections auction has become the first Lincoln cent and first non-gold 20th century coin to sell for more than a million dollars.

The 1943-D Bronze penny was sold in 2010 through a private sale for 1.7 million dollars.

1943-D Lincoln Bronze Cent – $1,700,000

Many of these coins show circulation wear and tear. This single example from the Denver mint is in pristine condition. It is considered the most valuable Lincoln penny in the world.

How do I find out what my coins are worth? ›

One of the best resources for finding the worth of a coin is a book that's known as The Official Red Book which is titled as “A Guide Book of United States Coins” this book is invaluable when collecting coins and will provide you with information such as mintages, grade values, auction records, and information on the ...

If you have heard of only one rare coin, there is a good chance that it is the 1933 penny. For some reason this coin, more than any other, has lodged itself in the public consciousness. Indeed, people have spent a lifetime sifting through their coins in a vain attempt to find one.

The 1944 penny without a mint mark is worth $0.02 in Fine condition. If it is Extremely Fine, it could sell for $0.04 and $0.89 in uncirculated condition.

Doubled dies

Doubled die coins are mainly created by a defective hub which is used to create many dies for the minting process. Collectors classify doubled dies as DDO (doubled die obverse coins), DDR (doubled die reverse) and OMM (over mint mark).

A scarce and expensive error coin is the 1956 Wheat Penny DDO, or “Doubled Die Obverse.” In this case, the design on the coin's obverse (or “heads” side) was inadvertently stamped twice, resulting in a twofold image.

According to the NGC Price Guide, as of June 2023, a Wheat Penny from 1944 in circulated condition is worth between $35000 and $43500. However, on the open market 1944 STEEL Pennies in pristine, uncirculated condition sell for as much as $175000.

The most valuable 1945 penny is the one with the “D” mint mark. This coin is worth about 85,000 dollars. This is because the metal content in the penny is worth more than the face value of the coin. The value of the metal content has increased over time, and the 1945 penny is made of 95% copper.

The most valuable 1940 penny (with wear from circulation) is the 1940-S penny.

The 1958 Doubled Die Obverse is the rarest and most valuable DDO error of all of the Lincoln Wheat Cent (Penny) series. There are only a handful known to exist and the coins are best identified by the very clear doubling of the legend "IN GOD WE TRUST" and the doubling of the word "LIBERTY" on the front of the coin.

How do you know if you have a special penny? ›

Watch for low mintage years like 1955-S, 1939-D, 1933-D, and 1931-S. Depending on condition, rarer pennies are worth more. Look for all-copper pennies. Old pennies made before 1982 are 95% copper, which gives them an inherent metal value.

It sold for $336, 000. Only one is graded PCGS MS-65 Red (the other two being MS-64 RD) so this specimen must be the MS-65 that was once in the Stewart Blay Collection. The variety is listed by CONECA as 1958 1c DDO-001, 1-O-I-CW and in Cherrypickers' Guide to Rare Die Varieties by Bill Fivaz and J.T.

The US minted the 1958 wheat penny with no mint mark and also the 1958 D wheat penny. The mint mark, when present, can be found on the obverse side of the coin below the date.

USA Coin Book Estimated Value of 1958-D Lincoln Wheat Penny is Worth $0.06 in Average Condition and can be Worth $0.34 to $1.16 or more in Uncirculated (MS+) Mint Condition. Click here to Learn How to use Coin Price Charts.

CoinFacts (PCGS mobile app) Many coin collectors say the first place to start for any coin collector or enthusiast is with PCGS — offering a variety of different coin-collecting apps for both iOS and Android. PCGS claims they're the industry standard for grading and valuing coins.

"Double die pennies are highly sought after by coin collectors because they are considered a rare and valuable error. The double image on the coin makes it unique and highly prized among collectors."

These Rare 1955 Wheat Pennies In Your Coin Collection Could Be Worth $20,000 or More.

The most famous error coin in America.

The 1943 Lincoln penny — one of 20 accidentally pressed in copper that year — was discovered by 16-year-old Don Lutes Jr. in his school cafeteria in March 1947, according to Sarah Miller of Heritage Auctions in Dallas.

1943 (Philadelphia) Bronze Cent

1943 wheat pennies that don't have a mint letter were made in Philadelphia, where they also had the minting error with the bronze planchets. Collectors estimate around 20 of these coins exist today. One in excellent condition sold for $372,000 in 2021.

What pennies with no mint mark are valuable? ›