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Rare Wheat Pennies 1909-1958

When collecting Lincoln Cents be sure to watch out for rare wheat pennies and other valuable pennies. Some of them can be worth several hundred dollars each, on up to a few thousand dollars for some coins.

First off, let me say that you should keep any wheat penny that you find since they are all worth at least three times face value. Keep in mind that I am referring to wholesale price. This is the price that a coin dealer would be willing to pay you for the coins.

Most prices that you see quoted in coin price guides are for retail price, or the price that you would likely have to pay a dealer for a coin. To see retail prices of your coins, check out Professional Coin Grading Service Daily Price Guide for Lincoln Cents (1909-1958).

If you want to see Lincoln Penny Values, or what your wheat cents will bring if you sell them, Coin Values Discovery is a great site for that.

Below you will find a list of rare wheat pennies as well as some other valuable pennies that you should keep an eye out for, including error coins.

Valuable Wheat Pennies (1909-1958)

Wheat Penny Key Dates:

1909-S VDB
1909-S
1914-D
1931-S

Wheat Penny Overmintmarks:

1909-S over horizontal S
1944-D over S
1946-S over D
1951-D/S
1952-D/S
1956-D/S (dual mintmark)
1956-D/D/S

Double Dies:

1917 - obverse
1936 - obverse
1941
1942-S
1955 - obverse
1943-D - Boldly doubled mintmark.
1958 - Double Die Obverse - only 2 known

1922 "Plain" - due to a worn die in which the mintmark became filled. Look for a "Strong" reverse variety as it is the most valuable.
1943 Copper Penny - This particular 1943 penny is rare. It is believed that about 40 of these were struck but only 12 of these coins have been confirmed to exist.
1944 Steel Penny - 27 are known to exist from the Philadelphia Mint with no mint mark and 7-10 from Denver (D). Only 1 1944 Penny made of steel is known to exist with an S mintmark.

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