How much is my Wheat Penny worth?

Find the most valuable wheat pennies worth money as well as key dates with our wheat penny value guide. Use our list to find the estimated worth of your coin.

The 10 Most Valuable Wheat Pennies (cents)

If you find one of these wheat pennies in Mint Condition you’ve had some very good luck!

These numbers are based on coins in MS60 Condition or better.

1. 1917 Doubled Die: $3,000 – $6,000
2. 1955-P DDO: $4,000 – $16,000
3. 1922-D No D Strong Reverse: $12,000 – $30,000
4. 1944-P Steel: $50,000+
5. 1944-D Steel: $60,000+
6. 1958-P DDO: $100,000 – $200,000
7. 1943 Bronze: $300,000+
8. 1943-S Bronze: $500,000+
9. 1944-S Steel: $700,000 – $1,000,000
10. 1943-D Bronze: $800,000 – $2,000,000

Wheat Penny Key Dates

Keep an eye out for these Lincoln Wheat Penny Key Dates.

1. 1909 S
2. 1909 S VDB
3. 1914 D
4. 1922 Plain
5. 1931 S

Possibly the most popular coin of all time amongst coin collectors to collect is the Lincoln Wheat Cent, first minted in 1909.

In 1908, the U.S. Mint contracted sculptor Victor D. Brenner to design the new cent.  They wanted the new coin to depict Abraham Lincoln, in honor of the centennial year of his birth.  It was the first widely circulating coin to feature a United States President.

The cent was struck in 95% copper, until 1943 when copper was needed for the war (World War II) and the penny’s composition changed to zinc-coated steel for a year.  There were a few error coins the following year that were mistakenly made on the steel planchets, these are quite rare and valuable pennies!

The wheat cent reverted to its 95% copper composition, and in 1959 the wheat design was replaced by Frank Gasparro’s Lincoln Memorial reverse design.

Brenner’s design for the wheat penny was very similar to one of his previous works, a desk plaque of Abraham Lincoln for the Gorham Manufacturing Company that he made in 1907.  The design features Abraham Lincoln facing right on the obverse, and the reverse features two stalks of durum wheat around the edge of the coin, framing the words “ONE CENT” and “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” Along the top edge we see the motto “E PLURIBUS UNUM”.

A few coins of note are the 1909-S VDB and the 1909 VDB these coins minted featured Brenner’s initials on the reverse, at the bottom edge of the coin. The initials were removed as they were controversial and viewed as advertising, but in 1918 the initials were added back in, much smaller and this time on the obverse of the coin, right near where Lincoln’s shoulder meets the edge of the coin.