How do I know if my wheat penny is valuable?
- 1917 Doubled Die: $3,000 - $6,000.
- 1955-P DDO: $4,000 - $16,000.
- 1922-D No D Strong Reverse: $12,000 - $30,000.
- 1944-P Steel: $50,000+
- 1944-D Steel: $60,000+
- 1958-P DDO: $100,000 - $200,000.
- 1943 Bronze: $300,000+
- 1943-S Bronze: $500,000+
So for the past 30 years, pennies have been made with an alloy comprised of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper, but pennies minted before 1982 are 95% copper and 5% zinc. The price of copper has more than quadrupled over the past 10 years.
The most famous 1943 Copper Wheat Penny is probably the one that was mistakenly made from solid copper instead of steel-coated zinc. Only a few error coins exist, making them extremely valuable to collectors. One sold at auction in 2010 for over $1 million!
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.
Considered to be the most valuable of the non-error Wheat Pennies, the 1914 D Wheat Penny commands an asking price range from $281 to $4,268.
1. 1931-S Wheat Penny. 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!
You'll pay around 0.30 USD for the 1982 “D” zinc penny with a big date. The 1982 “D” zinc penny with a small date and an MS of at least 60 costs around 0.20 USD. Remember, the price is low because these coins are common.
In 2009, the U.S. Mint made four special penny designs to celebrate Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday. It was also the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln penny, which the Mint first made in 1909. The image of Lincoln remained on the obverse (heads) of all four cents in the new program.
In addition, the 1985 pennies from Denver were also struck from a cheap copper-zinc alloy, making them not worth much beyond their face value in circulated condition. In general, circulated condition, the 1985-D penny is worth about $0.05.
Hence, these are relatively common coins and are worth relatively little collector value in circulated grades. Most 1943 Lincoln pennies in worn grades (average condition) trade for around 10 cents to 25 cents apiece. Typical examples in uncirculated condition usually realize $1 to $5.
What wheat penny is worth thousands of dollars?
According to Cointrackers.com, certain pennies that were minted in 1943 and 1944 top the list of the 25 most valuable pennies for coin collectors in 2023. The 1944 steel wheat penny could be worth as much as $408,000 in mint condition, and up to $10,000 in average condition, the site said.
According to the NGC Price Guide, as of March 2023, a Wheat Penny from 1943 in circulated condition is worth between $0.05 and $2. However, on the open market 1943 S Pennies in pristine, uncirculated condition sell for as much as $7000.
1945 Wheat Penny No Mint Mark
These coins are typically worth 15 cents and can be worth between $1.75-$2.00 or more in uncirculated conditions depending on the marketplace and the coin. However, graded examples of these coins command a premium, and fine-graded examples continue to rise in price.
The value of a 1945 wheat penny depends on its condition and whether it's the rare “steel” variety. A well-circulated coin could be worth only a few cents, while a pristine steel penny could fetch up to $85,000.
Why is the 1942 Wheat Penny so Valuable? 1942 is a landmark year because copper and nickel were in high demand for the war effort. So this is the last year before War Pennies. War pennies were steel coated with zinc, and were only used for a year.
The most valuable Wheat Penny ever auctioned is a unique 1943-D Bronze Cent, sold for $840,000. Other examples of valuable wheat pennies include the 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Penny, the 1944 Steel Penny, and other variations of the 1943 Bronze Penny.
- 1909-S Indian Cent: $300 to $1,000+ ...
- 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent: $600 to $1,300+ ...
- 1914-D Lincoln Cent: $150 to $2,200+ ...
- 1922 Plain Lincoln Cent: $500 to $10,500+ ...
- 1931-S Lincoln Cent: $65 to $100+ ...
- 1943 Bronze Lincoln Cent: $125,000+
- 1914-S Lincoln Penny.
- 1944-D Lincoln Penny (Zinc-coated steel)
- 1909-S VDB Lincoln Penny.
- 1872 Indian Head Penny.
- 1969-S Lincoln Penny-Doubled Die Obverse.
- 1926-S Lincoln Penny.
- 1877 Indian Head Penny.
- 1914-D Lincoln Penny.
The coin was released during World War II as a result of a shortage of copper. The 1943 wheat penny is made of steel with a coating of zinc and is considered to be very rare. In fact, only about 40,000 were ever made!
1944 Wheat Penny Values
The 1944 wheat penny is worth roughly 15 cents in average condition, always more than its face value. Some examples of 1944 Wheat Penny are also valuable because they contain errors or are in exceptional mint state condition, which are in high demand by collectors.
What is the rare 1982 D penny?
This 1982-D Small Date 1C Bronze in AU58 BN NGC is a rare transitional alloy error, cousins to the famous 1943 bronze cents. Some feel the 1982 cent has grown from a seven-coin set to an eight-coin set if one wants to consider one of these a variety and part of the set.
It turns out all pennies with a date of 1981 or earlier were made from nearly pure copper, which means they are actually worth three times their face value - three cents.
Why does my 1982 penny weigh 2.5 grams? For pennies dated 1982, when both copper and zinc cents were made, and best way to determine their composition is to weigh them. Solid copper pennies weigh 3.11 grams (+/- 0.130 g.), whereas the copper plated zinc pennies weigh only 2.5 grams (+/- 0.100 g.).
In circulated grades, it's worth only its face value. If it's a double die reverse error coin, it will be worth around $5, depending on its grade. The most valuable examples are the highest quality mint state coins.
USA Coin Book Estimated Value of 2009-D Lincoln Memorial Penny (Formative Years Indiana Variety) is Worth $0.57 or more in Uncirculated (MS+) Mint Condition. Click here to Learn How to use Coin Price Charts. Also, click here to Learn About Grading Coins.
How much is the 2009 Lincoln penny Log Cabin worth? The 2009 Lincoln penny Log Cabin in perfect condition is typically worth $30 on the coin market. Pieces with a satin finish are worth twice as much.
Value of 1985-D Lincoln Memorial Cent
The 1985-D Lincoln Memorial Cent is common and available in all grades. Most of these coins face up very well and have a pleasing appearance. A large mint mark was used this year to represent the Denver Mint. It is common to see a coin with a sharp strike.
1943 steel cents are U.S. one-cent coins that were struck in steel due to wartime shortages of copper. The Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco mints each produced these 1943 Lincoln cents.
1986 D Memorial (Lincoln) penny Value
Most of the well-preserved pieces are worth $0.10 to $16, but those with an MS 68 grade cost $55. However, one of the pieces from this mintage is the most pricey coin in the series. The 1986 D MS 69 RD Memorial penny was sold on eBay in December 2021 for an impressive $7,840.
The Most Expensive Penny
Just 40 of the coins — probably created by accident, on copper-alloy one-cent blanks left in the presses in the wartime years when pennies were converted to steel — are known to exist. The first 1943 copper cent was sold in 1958 for more than $40,000.
What is the rarest 1943 penny?
The Rare 1943 Penny
If your 1943 penny is made out of copper, it is worth quite a bit of money, generally $10,000 or more! The reason is that the 1943 copper penny is an error coin. The United States Mint accidentally used the wrong planchet metal when striking the coin.
The easiest way to determine whether or not your 1943 Cent has collectible value—to see if it is possibly bronze rather than steel—is simply to test it with a magnet. If the coin is magnetic, then it is, unfortunately, the common steel version and is not valuable in most cases.
Eric said the penny in question is worth an estimated $2million. However, despite its high value, the penny is technically illegal to own as it's considered to be government property. Federal authorities haven't been in a hurry to confiscate them, according to Coinworld, but it's important for sellers to know.
Extremely Rare Coin Discovered in a High Schooler's Lunch Money in 1947 Now Worth $1.7 Million. A rare coin found by a high schooler in his lunch money has been valued at almost $1.7million, following the owner's death.
The 1959-D wheat penny is one of the most controversial mule coins ever. It's worth $50,000! Here's everything you could possibly want to know about the 1959-D penny error!
The famed error for the 1943 penny is the copper one, as the USA switched metals from copper to steel in order to conserve metal for their war effort.
President Lincoln was chosen as a subject for the penny to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth. Any wheat penny is worth at least four cents to most dealers. Given the popularity of collecting Lincoln Wheat cents, there will always be a demand for quality coins.
The 1919 Lincoln wheat penny is abundant nowadays, and most pieces cost approximately $6 to $85, depending on the condition. Only rare pieces with red toning in an MS 68 grade are worth $9,500 to $12,000. The most expensive is a coin sold at an auction in 2019 for $18,000.
The value of the 1941 Wheat Penny is primarily determined by its rarity and condition/grading. Uncirculated examples in good condition, as well as error variants, can fetch a slightly higher price.
A 1944 no mint Wheat Penny in good condition can be worth around $2 to $10. A 1944 no mint Wheat Penny in excellent condition can be worth around $10 to $50. A 1944 no mint Wheat Penny in uncirculated condition can be worth around $50 to $200 or more.
How much can I sell a 1946 wheat penny?
1946 San Francisco Mint Wheat Penny Value
These coins range in value from 15 cents to $6 on average. More than 198,000,000 wheat pennies were produced in San Francisco in 1946, making them the most rare mint of the year. However, a 1946 wheat penny with an S over the D mint mark can bring more than $250 at auction.
As mentioned above, the 1945 penny comes in different states that dictate its value, but it can be both common and uncommon and occasionally rare. It is the penny that marked the end of World War II, with the traditional Abraham Lincoln on the obverse, while the wheat was located on the reverse of the penny.
1943 D Wheat Penny Value
According to the NGC Price Guide, as of February 2023, a Wheat Penny from 1943 in circulated condition is worth between $0.05 and $1.25. However, on the open market 1943 D Pennies in pristine, uncirculated condition sell for as much as $1900.
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.
Value of a 1957-D Wheat Penny
An average uncirculated specimen (MS-63) will cost about seventy-five cents.
During World War II, the war effort required a lot of copper to make shell casings and munitions. In 1943 U.S. Mint produced the penny out of zinc plated steel to save copper for the war effort, so most 1943 pennies are silver colored.
Reputable coin dealers, Coin Auctions, eBay, and Price Guides are great places to start. If your coins are graded by one of the Top Tier grading services like PCGS or NGC, you can usually get a reasonable value estimate sight-unseen!
- S Lincoln Penny – $105,800. ...
- 1944-D Lincoln Penny on a Zinc-Coated Steel Planchet – $115,000. ...
- 1909-S VDB Lincoln Penny. ...
- 1872 Indian Head Penny – $126,500. ...
- 1969-S Lincoln Penny–Doubled Die Obverse – $126,500. ...
- 1926-S Lincoln Penny – $149,500.
The coin in question is a penny from 1909. The media could not be played. If you find a 1909 penny with an S on the front and the letters VDB on the back at the bottom, it could be worth nearly $1,000.
The 1943 copper-alloy cent is one of the most enigmatic coins in American numismatics — and reportedly the most valuable Lincoln penny of all.
What is the lowest mintage penny?
The most well-known rare version of the coin is the 1909-S VDB, the lowest-mintage regular-issue in the entire series. About 484,000 were struck, but only an estimated 20,000 survive.
- 1998-P Wide AM: $25.
- 1995-D Doubled Die: $50.
- 1970-S Small Date High 7: $60.
- 1984-P Doubled Die Ear: $250.
- 1960-D Small D Over Large D: $200-$500.
- 1983-P Doubled Die Reverse: $400.
- 1992-D Close AM: $500.
- 1999-P Wide AM: $540.
The year 1952 was one of those full of important historical events, making Lincoln pennies collectible. Even though the 1952 wheat penny value is insignificant except for rare excellently-preserved ones, they are desirable as a part of the set.
In circulated condition, 1947-D cents are worn and are worth between $0.05 and $0.35. In uncirculated, mint state, the coin can fetch $30 because, as mentioned, the 1947 Wheat penny is readily available even in mint state. The most expensive 1947 D Wheat penny was graded MS67 and sold at $1920 in 2020.
