Wheat penny value: which years are worth keeping
Most wheat pennies sell for a few cents. Here are the dates and mint marks worth real money, with values by condition and how to check yours.
Found a jar of old pennies with two wheat ears on the back? Those are wheat pennies, and most of them are worth a few cents. A handful of dates and mint marks sell for much more, and you can check for them in a few minutes.
The wheat penny is the Lincoln cent the Mint struck from 1909 to 1958. In 1959 the back switched to the Lincoln Memorial design (Lincoln cent). The Mint made billions of wheat pennies, and that is why the common dates stay cheap.
All values below are averages from the Numista catalog, in US dollars, checked on November 3, 2026. Mintages also come from Numista.
What a common wheat penny is worth
For most dates, condition sets the price, and the numbers are small:
| Coin | Good (heavily worn) | Fine | Extremely Fine | Uncirculated (no wear) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | $0.06 | $0.11 | $0.28 | $2.66 |
| 1950 | $0.03 | $0.11 | $0.19 | $1.90 |
| 1957-D | $0.03 | $0.11 | $0.16 | $1.05 |
| 1919 | $0.18 | $0.34 | $1.02 | $26.64 |
Almost every date from the 1940s to 1958 follows this pattern: a few cents worn, a dollar or two with no wear. Dates from the 1910s and 1920s sell for more, mostly in high grades.
The dates worth real money
Collectors look for these coins. You'll find the mint mark on the front, under the date: "D" for Denver, "S" for San Francisco, no letter for Philadelphia.
| Coin | Mintage | Good | Fine | Very Fine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909-S VDB | 484,000 | $684 (Very Good) | $867 | $955 |
| 1922 "no D" | included in 1922-D (7,160,000) | $310 | $387 | $1,090 |
| 1914-D | 1,193,000 | $141 | $201 | $251 |
| 1931-S | 866,000 | $75 (Very Good) | $75 | $79 |
| 1909-S (no VDB) | 1,825,000 | $31 | $78 | $107 |
| 1924-D | 2,520,000 | $13 | $31 | $33 |
| 1926-S | 4,550,000 | $8 | $13 | $14 |
A few notes on the big ones:
- 1909-S VDB. "VDB" are the initials of the designer, Victor David Brenner, at the bottom of the back. The Mint removed them within days of the release, so the San Francisco coins with the initials are the scarcest regular wheat penny. The Philadelphia 1909 VDB is common, with almost 28 million struck: Numista lists it at $4.65 in Good and $62.66 uncirculated.
- 1922 "no D". In 1922 only Denver struck cents. It used a worn die, and on many coins oil and dirt filled the mint mark, so the "D" came out faint or not at all. The valuable coin has no mint mark at all.
- 1914-D. Numista warns that altered mint marks exist on this date. Have an expert check it before you pay a premium.
Doubled dies
On a doubled die coin, letters or numbers look doubled because the die itself was doubled. The famous one is the 1955 doubled die: several thousand were struck, and the date shows clear doubling. Numista lists it at about $1,547 in About Uncirculated. Other dates have smaller doubling (1909 VDB, 1917, 1936, 1941). To confirm one, you need a magnifier and a reference picture.
1943: steel, not copper
In 1943 the war effort needed copper, so the Mint made cents of zinc-plated steel (1943 steel cent). They look silver-gray and stick to a magnet. They are common: Philadelphia alone struck 684,628,670. Numista lists them from about $0.20 worn to about $2.70 to $4.48 uncirculated, depending on the mint.
The Mint struck a few 1943 cents in copper by mistake. Numista estimates about 20 from Philadelphia and 1 known from Denver; for San Francisco, estimates go from a handful to about 20. Found a copper-colored 1943? Test it with a magnet first. Many are steel cents that someone plated with copper after they left the Mint, and those stick. If yours doesn't, take it to an expert.
How to check yours
- Read the date and the mint mark under the date. Set aside any coin that matches the lists above.
- Judge the wear. Look at Lincoln's cheek and jaw and at the lines on the wheat ears. Smooth and flat means heavy wear. Sharp lines mean a better grade and a higher price.
- Look for doubling on the date, on "LIBERTY" and on "IN GOD WE TRUST".
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors spot right away, and it cuts the value.
For a faster first pass, use Coin Value Identifier AI. Photograph the front and the back, and the app identifies the coin. You pick the mint mark and variety, and it shows the Numista estimate for each grade, from Good to Uncirculated.