10 Wheat Cents Worth a Pretty Penny
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You’ve probably come across a few of these pennies in your pocket before, the wheat penny, or wheat cent, is one of the most popular coins to collect in the world of coin collecting.
While many of these pennies aren’t worth much more than face value, there are a good number of them that are worth looking out for!
In good conditions, these little pennies can bring in much more than their face-value.
Keep an eye out for particularly good looking specimens, pennies that exhibit little to no wear on them will fetch a much higher price and earn you more money than worn, circulated coins.
That being said, this list does feature more coins that are worth money in circulated conditions.
So What Pennies Are Worth Money?
1. 1931-S Wheat Penny
Value: $70-$150
Auction Record: $18,600
Shop 1931-S Wheat Cents on eBay.com The 1931 S Lincoln Wheat Penny is a key date in the series, with only 866,000 coins minted. Although it may sound like a lot, the average mintage numbers are usually in the millions! This was the last penny minted at the San Francisco Mint until 1935! The 1931 S Wheat Cent was hoarded by many people so it’s relatively easy to purchase uncirculated grades of this coin. As with most pennies, the ones designated "Red" fetch the highest prices. In 2021, an MS66+RD graded coins (pictured left) sold for $18,600.00!
1931-S Red Lincoln Wheat Cent
Imaged by Heritage Auctions, HA.com
2. 1917 Doubled Die Wheat Penny
Value: $100-$5,000
Auction Record: $120,000
The 1917 Double Die Wheat penny exhibits class V doubling, or “pivoted hub doubling. It’s not a very strong doubled die, and the doubling is mostly seen on the date and in the words IN GOD WE TRUST. This is a very popular coin among coin collectors so it’s certainly one to look out for. It may be difficult to see the doubling on worn coins.
In 2019, the finest known specimen of this coin, graded MS67+RD sold for a whopping $180,000!
1917 Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln Wheat Cent
Imaged by Heritage Auctions, HA.com
3. 1909-S Wheat Penny
Value: $100-$300
Auction Record: $69,000
Shop 1909 S Wheat Cents on eBay.com The 1909 S Lincoln Wheat Penny is a semi-key date. Even still, it’s highly desirable in all grades, though it’s not as popular as the 1909-S VDB variety. This coin had a mintage of 1,825,000. In 2004, an MS67+RD graded coin (pictured left) sold for $69,000.
1909-S Lincoln Wheat Cent
Imaged by Heritage Auctions, HA.com
4. 1909-S Over Horizontal S Wheat Penny
Value: $120-$350
Auction Record: $32,900
Shop 1909 S over horizontal s wheat cents on eBay.com The 1909-s over horizontal s is an error coin called an RPM, Repunched Mint Mark. What happened was that the first S was punched into the die in the wrong orientation, and then corrected with a second S. All mint marks were hand-punched into the dies prior to 1990. In July 2022, an MS67RD graded specimen (pictured left) sold for $32,900!
1909-S over horizontal S Lincoln Wheat Cent
Image courtesy of Legend Rare Coin Auctions
5. 1914-D Wheat Penny
Value: $200-$2,500
Auction Record: $158,625
Shop 1914 D Wheat Cents on eBay.com The 1914-D Lincoln Wheat penny is another key date in the series, and is the most valuable non-error penny. With a mintage of 1,193,000 it has one of the lowest mintages in the Wheat Cent series. It can be difficult to find uncirculated coins as they are much more rare. Beware though, this is a popular coin for counterfeiters. In 2018, an MS66+RD graded coin (pictured left) sold for $158,625.
1914-D Lincoln Wheat Cent
Image courtesy of Legend Rare Coin Auctions
6. 1922-D No D Wheat Penny
Value: $500-20,000
Auction Record: $92,000
Shop 1922 D no D Wheat Cents on eBay.com The 1922 D No D Lincoln Wheat cent is the only circulation strike in the entire series that lacks its intended mint mark. At the the time, the Denver Mint was the only Mint producing pennies, and the coins should have the D mint mark. But due to the intense pressure to produce all the coins, the mint suffered from a bit of sloppiness and a batch of wheat pennies never got their mint mark. This is a major variety and extremely popular with collectors, definitely keep an eye out for this valuable penny! In 2008, an MS64 graded cent sold for $92,000
1922-D no D Lincoln Wheat Cent
Imaged by Heritage Auctions, HA.com
7. 1909-S VDB Wheat Penny
Value: $700-$1,500
Auction Record: $168,000
Shop 1909 S VDB Wheat Cents on eBay.com The 1909 S VDB Lincoln Wheat cent is quite challenging to acquire, definitely one of the most popular in the series. These are often counterfeited however, so authentication is strongly recommended if you happen to find one of these rare coins. In April, 2022, an MS67RD graded wheat cent sold for an astounding $168,000!
1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent
Imaged by Heritage Auctions, HA.com
8. 1955 Doubled Die Wheat Penny
Value: $1,000-$1,800
Auction Record: $114,000
Shop 1955 Doubled Die Wheat Cents on eBay.com The 1955 Doubled Die Lincoln Wheat penny is an extremely famous and naturally very popular penny with collectors. The doubling on this wheat cent is so dramatic it's visible without magnification. There were only approximately 24,000 of these highly desirable coins released into circulation. But as always, a highly desirable coin usually means there are fakes out there. Beware of counterfeit pennies and always get your coin certified if you believe it may be authentic! In 2018, an MS65+RD graded specimen (pictured left) sold for $114,000.
1955 DDO Lincoln Wheat Cent
Image courtesy of Stacks Bowers
9. 1944 Steel Cent Wheat Penny
Value: $75,000-125,000
Auction Record:
The 1944 Steel Wheat cent was created by sheer accident. It’s speculated that either steel blanks from the previous year had been left behind and accidentally struck, or steel blanks from foreign coins that the Mint was producing were mistakenly mixed in with the copper blanks and struck. Either way, a great rarity was created for us! It’s estimated that there is only about 25 to 30 of these coins that exist, which makes it an extremely rare and valuable wheat penny! Beware of zinc-coated copper penny fakes! In 2021, an MS64 graded coin (pictured left) sold for $180,000.
1944 Steel Lincoln Wheat Cent
Imaged by Heritage Auctions, HA.com
10. 1943 Bronze Wheat Penny
Value: $100,000-200,000
Auction Record:
The final coin on our list is one of, if not the most coveted coins in America, the 1943 Bronze Wheat Cent. During this time, copper was needed to produce ammo for the war, so the mint ceased production of copper pennies and switched over--for the first, and last time--to steel cents. But several copper planchets were left behind and mistakenly struck with the 1943-dated dies. There are many fraudulent coins, as it is such a valuable penny. You can do a quick test to see if you may have an authentic 1943 bronze cent on your hands. Grab a magnet and try to pick up your penny, if it is attracted, then it is made of copper-plated steel, and counterfeit. If it’s not attracted to the magnet, then you may have an authentic coin on your hands and you’ll want to get it authenticated. In 2021, an MS62BN graded coin (pictured left) sold for $372,000.
1943 Bronze Lincoln Wheat Cent
Imaged by Heritage Auctions, HA.com
10 Most Valuable Wheat Pennies
- 1931-S: $70-$150
- 1917 Doubled Die: $100-$5,000
- 1909-S: $100-$300
- 1909-S Over Horizontal S: $120-$350
- 1914-D: $200-$2,500
- 1922-D No D: $500-$20,000
- 1909-S VDB: $700-$1,500
- 1955 Doubled Die: $1,000-$1,800
- 1944 Steel Cent: $75,000-$125,000
- 1943 Bronze Cent: $100,000-$200,000
Looking for more penny values? Check out our penny price guides below!
- Flying Eagle Pennies
- Indian Head Pennies
- Lincoln Wheat Pennies
- Lincoln Pennies
