1909 VDB Penny Value: How Much Is Your Rare Wheat Penny Worth?

by Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez

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You’ve probably heard about the 1909 VDB wheat penny. You know — the coin that’s worth close to $1,000.

The only problem is you’re not sure if you have the VDB penny everyone is talking about…

In fact, it takes more than just seeing VDB on your penny for it to be rare and expensive. It also takes an S on your coin, along with the VDB, for it to be the key coin that is worth $650 to $1,000… or more.

But what does the VDB and the S mean on the 1909 Lincoln cent?

The VDB is the designer’s initials – (V)ictor (D)avid (B)renner
The S is the mintmark for San Francisco

Only 484,000 1909 S VDB pennies were made!

The more common 1909 VDB cent was made in Philadelphia — with over 27 million minted, it’s worth $12 to $25 in circulated grades.

Facts About The 1909 VDB Penny

The 1909 pennies with VDB were the very first examples of the beloved Lincoln cents, which have been made continuously since 1909 — and are by far America’s longest-running coin series.

Even back in 1909, everyone seemed to know the Lincoln penny would be special…

People lined up all around the Philadelphia Mint on the morning of August 2, 1909 — the day the coin was released — for their own shiny specimens of the new coin. In the following days, enterprising young children in Philly and San Francisco sold new 1909 VDB and 1909-S VDB pennies for a nickel or dime apiece (respectively). Some even charged a whopping quarter!

Here’s another interesting bit of trivia behind 1909 VDB pennies…

They were minted for only a few weeks before the public complained about the prominence of Brenner’s initials (VDB) on the reverse of the new penny. The U.S. Mint swiftly removed the initials from the coin, leaving the Lincoln cent without any artist marks at all until 1918 — when “VDB” was restored to the coin in tiny print under Lincoln’s shoulder.

So, whether you have the 1909-S VDB penny or the 1909 VDB penny, you’ve got a pretty historic coin on your hands!

PUBLISHED February 27, 2025

UPDATED July 27, 2026

Rare U.S. Coins

Lincoln Cents, Pennies, Rare Coins, Wheat Pennies, X-Lincoln Wheat Cents

Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez

Numismatic Specialist

Hi, I’m Josh! I’m the Editor here at the US Coins Guide. My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. I primarily collect and study U.S. coins produced during the 20th century.

I’m a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG). I have won multiple awards from the NLG for my work as a coin journalist. I’m also the editor at the Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine), and author of Images of America: The United States Mint in Philadelphia (a book that explores the colorful history of the Philadelphia Mint). I’ve contributed hundreds of articles for various coin publications including COINage, The Numismatist, Numismatic News, Coin Dealer Newsletter, Coin Values, and CoinWeek.

I’ve authored over 1,000 articles here at the US Coins Guide (many with over 50K shares).

I welcome your coin questions!

36 responses to “1909 VDB Penny Value: How Much Is Your Rare Wheat Penny Worth?”

Terryannlandells

November 2, 2011

I have two 1943 Lincoln steel wheaties, one has an intermmintent line of dots running from the U in United diagonally down to and on the rim across the wheat on the right. So it runs left to right downward. Anybody got any ideas as cannot find out anything about this anomily.
TerryAnn

Reply
1. MAXWELL BAKER
  
  February 4, 2019
  
  perhaps an error? could have value
  
  Reply
Michael Steele

April 24, 2018

How much is a 10 wheat penny vdb worth

Reply
1. JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide
  
  April 25, 2018
  
  Hi, Michael —
  
  You have a 1910 Lincoln cent with the VDB under the wheat stalks? Would you please provide a photo(s) of this coin so I can further advise?
  
  Thank you,
  Josh
  
  Reply
Shane R

August 12, 2018

Hey long time no see so i came across this coin 1909 v.d.b. penny and i was wondering if this was a real 1909 or a fake one that people are saying that are popping up all over the place? Id appreciate your input. Thanks https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/130c2bfca8cd966cc3747d41fad95a4a1321b4655ce7a337d2b67e3929ea5894.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9b86d8631c7cbb27a7456897637b77e4bee0c7fa989b16aa445cd846d616a55d.jpg

Reply
1. JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide
  
  August 13, 2018
  
  Hi, Shane —
  
  It looks like an authentic 1909 VDB penny in the photos. The relatively common 1909 VDB thankfully isn’t often as faked as the much scarcer 1909-S VDB penny. Your piece — a nice one with original surfaces, by the way — is worth $7 to $10.
  
  Nice find,
  Josh
  
  Reply
  1. Joseph Caro
    
    October 13, 2019
    
    Hello Josh; taking the penny collection with the 1909 VDB to a dealer is troublesome. An honest dealer would discount the album by 35%. I took a Mercury dime collection to a dealer (with a 1916D in VG grade and he offered me a fraction for the entire album than the 1916D was worth! https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7d8107da3358787e58f874de7bfb85db85e203a65d10e0ee3a83c7ece0f80187.jpg
    
    Reply
    1. Joseph Caro
      
      October 13, 2019
      
      In addition, there is a Roosevelt dime album that has a 1949S and 1950S and 1951S which all look BU and are stated to be quite collectible. Any ideas on value? https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/42681ce6331593ccc13f604938cf5f7a1211f745b98fe5a321415a8e57c7853d.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/021709ff1d0282537ecf6ed4e1d83cb7ef3455c94b42809f4630ec8022c49e90.jpg
      
      Reply
    2. JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide
      
      October 14, 2019
      
      Hi, Joseph —
      
      The two things to keep in mind is that, in terms of selling them to a dealer, coins aren’t really worth the values you see in the books. They’re worth a much lower wholesale price, which is the amount a dealer will offer to buy coins for. The dealer needs to pay overhead, rent, etc. and still make a profit.
      
      You could try selling your collection on eBay or consigning them to an auction house. The only big drawbacks going that route is that, while you may make more, you may also earn less (unless you set a reserve price). Also, while most coin dealers will definitely buy your material, the items you offer for sale through an online or conventional auction may not sell at all.
      
      I hope this info helps,
      Josh
      
      Reply
      1. Morena Pobrera
        
        October 15, 2019
        
        Hello josh, i found these in old change. Are they worth anything? https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2e8d362de855fd7c8b24dff62167e53e7fa50e1ab198e6cc5c4ca91ab7bb4155.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/bc272e156a6f4c8800029bd3c477d166d653166a648348ae4d6f04e1226990db.jpg
      2. JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide
        
        October 16, 2019
        
        Hi, Morena —
        
        Here are links with values for your two pennies posted here:
        
        1944 penny value: https://uscoinsguide.com/1944-penny-value/
        1982 penny value: https://uscoinsguide.com/1982-copper-penny-value/
        
        Best wishes,
        Josh
Joseph Caro

October 12, 2019

have an 1909 VBD that looks in BU condition. Should I take it out of album? Coin has high toning so hard to see all details. Album also has a beuty ’37s, 39s, and 38s also hi BU-MS and total of 85 coins. Should I break album or sell it as is?
hoppyccn@aol.com

Reply
1. JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide
  
  October 12, 2019
  
  Hi, Joseph —
  
  Without seeing the collection in hand or even photos it is hard to say. Depending on who you’re selling it to, you might make more money selling the set in whole. If the coins are super high grade, they can fetch more individually. As BU/MS encompasses a wide range of values depending upon where in the Mint State grade spectrum each coin sits.
  
  I hope this info isn’t confusing but helpful based on what you see before you in your collection.
  
  Best wishes,
  Josh
  
  Reply
  1. Joseph Caro
    
    October 12, 2019
    
    thinking of putting it on ebay . . .any other places? selling for an estate, would like to sell the album as you suggest.
    
    Reply
    1. JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide
      
      October 13, 2019
      
      Hi, Joseph —
      
      EBay is a great marketplace, but if you have trouble don’t forget to try shopping it around to various coin dealers, too.
      
      Wishing you all the best,
      Josh
      
      Reply
  2. Joseph Caro
    
    October 13, 2019
    
    Here is the 1909 VDB https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d38fd31d187c61239e7bcbe745310f13f9bff63021e229ff0ff612dd80806175.jpg
    
    Reply
  3. Joseph Caro
    
    October 13, 2019
    
    Here are the BU/MS pennys https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2de92cda2ab8dcd3e75a1dd8f39187215aa31ff012a2607c18a456cdea939d81.jpg
    
    Reply
    1. JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide
      
      October 14, 2019
      
      Nice coins! I just saw the photos… Have you considered consigning then to an auction house? Maybe they would earn more that way.
      
      Reply
  4. Joseph Caro
    
    October 14, 2019
    
    Hi Josh . . . I respect your opinion. What about the super rare 1916D Mercury? Hate to break album apart but there are several other hi grade coins there too! Consign the albums to Heritage or . . . NGC grade for key dates and put them on Ebay or Heritage auctions? Will Heritage value them on consignment? I think that the 1916D is VG which would increase value substantially, right??
    
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7d8107da3358787e58f874de7bfb85db85e203a65d10e0ee3a83c7ece0f80187.jpg
    
    Reply
    1. JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide
      
      October 15, 2019
      
      Hi, Joseph —
      
      Many of these questions would definitely be answered more thoroughly and specifically by Heritage or the auction house/firm you decide to consign with or sell to. If you’re looking to reach out to Heritage do drop them a line and see what they say. Their website, in case you need it, is found at http://www.ha.com .
      
      Buyers can be finicky… I’ve seen many who will only buy an album set if all the coins are in roughly the same grade, whereas others won’t care if a key date, like the 1916-D Mercury dime, is a substantially different grade from the rest of the coins in a set or not. By the way, any 1916-D Mercury dime is a great coin on its own merits. Just my two cents!
      
      Best of luck,
      Josh
      
      Reply
      1. Joseph Caro
        
        October 15, 2019
        
        Hi Josh: Another burning question; I sent photos of the 1916D dime to Heritage and their comment was it is worth $600.. A potential buyer of the complete Mercury dime set offered me $800. for all -he sent me a photo of a graded 1916D that he said was graded “good.” My 1916D coin is at least a grade + higher. Now what do I do? By comparison to graded coins, I feel mine is “VG”. Why is the value so low when “G”coins are over $1,000?? https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/835437e67cdb23c8e626ca5a42e5c458cd9b3449d6c37f1a9743540f3fcecfa7.jpg
      2. Joseph Caro
        
        October 15, 2019
        
        Here is a picture of the graded slabbed 1916D (right) and mine. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2974ca21b29c555622e4b4738115a4f3cddbf4bd3e067c83bce39744cad57846.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0db5a4e5709dbf8b0041b255025f899cfa483f69e748ca4e164e122ce30f9964.png
      3. JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide
        
        October 16, 2019
        
        Hi, Joseph —
        
        While I don’t render professional grading opinions on this forum for various reasons, what I will say is your piece appears to have a little edge over the comparison photo but I’m not really comfortable saying it’s a FULL grade over. Perhaps more a nicer version of a G rather than a full VG. For this reason we have not just the adjective grading (Good, Very Good, Fine, etc.) but also the numerical grading G-4, G-6, etc.). Yours may be a closer to G-6 than a G-4, but if it’s not a full VG-8 in the eyes of the buyer they won’t pay full VG price.
        
        Something to remember, too, is that the price guides you see are merely only a rough estimate as to fair market value. They generally aren’t hard-and-fast rules, and ultimately what something is worth is only what the market will pay for it. Again, that $1,000 value your citing is closer to a retail value, and you will not get anywhere near retail when selling to coin dealers or other wholesale marketers.
        
        You need to decide what price you’re willing to give up your coin for, so to speak. Keep shopping it around and see who gives you the best price. If the best price isn’t good enough for you, then try eBay and see what happens. You can always set a reserve and adjust pricing based on response from potential buyers. That may be the best way to maximize returns for your piece.
        
        Good luck!!
        -Josh
      4. Joseph Caro
        
        October 16, 2019
        
        Thank you very much Josh! Your info. was most helpful. Back to the 1916D . . . I saw a few on ebay that were graded in AG and carried over $1, 200. values. The photos showed date wear as well as wear on LIBERTY. Min has much less where and a clear date. Maybe I should have it graded and slabbed? Probably cost around $100. total right??
      5. JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide
        
        October 17, 2019
        
        Hi, Joseph —
        
        It depends which company you go with. Some will probably grade it for closer to $30-50. Unless you’re a PCGS or NGC member you may need to submit via a coin dealer. ICG and ANACS generally allow collectors to submit coins themselves. Do check the grading company sites to view each’s current submission policies and prices.
        
        Good luck!
        Josh
Joseph Caro

October 12, 2019

https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7d8107da3358787e58f874de7bfb85db85e203a65d10e0ee3a83c7ece0f80187.jpg selling Merc dimes for a friend found a 1916 D in album. While values range from $700 to $1,500 my thought is to offer the entire album on ebay. What do you think?

Reply
Joseph Caro

October 15, 2019

Josh: I found this on ebay . . . have no idea what it means. I have a dime that looks exactly like it: RARE OLD ANACS RPM 1945 D/HORIZONTAL D FS-506 US MERCURY WINGED LIBERTY DIME .10
what is RPM? what is a horizontal D??

Reply
1. JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide
  
  October 16, 2019
  
  Hi, Joseph —
  
  RPM stands for repunched mintmark, and it designates a coin on which the mintmark punch was used at least twice at distinctly different angles on the working die. Some repunched mintmarks are quite scarce and have a niche collector base. Here’s more info: https://uscoinsguide.com/repunched-mint-marks/
  
  Best wishes,
  Josh
  
  Reply
Kirk Riggs

November 8, 2019

I have a 1910 $2.50 gold coin win an Indian head. It is in a square plastic and cardboard sheath. It looks uncirculated. It was bought by my parents in the 1960’s and I just found it while clearing out their belongings. I have seen some fairly good values on line. What would it be worth and where or to whom would a seller go to get top dollar?

Reply
1. JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide
  
  November 8, 2019
  
  Hello, Kirk —
  
  What a neat find! Assuming you’re in possession of a United States Indian Head $2.50 quarter eagle, values presently range from about $335 for a nicely circulated specimen to about $350+ for an uncirculated example.
  
  I hope this info helps,
  Josh
  
  Reply
Pastor Kerry

March 9, 2025

I have a 1909 VDB penny with no Mint mark is that common

Reply
1. JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide
  
  March 11, 2025
  
  Hi, Pastor Kerry —
  
  Yes, it’s common and means your coin was struck at the Philadelphia Mint.
  
  Best wishes,
  Josh
  
  Reply
  1. Pastor Kerry
    
    March 11, 2025
    
    I have another question as well. I have what I believe is a 1971? what look like a blurr across it and on the reverse the penny has a number 15 punched into it. Not hot meld or it would show bleed on the coin Have you ever heard of this How can i send pictures
    
    Reply
    1. JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide
      
      March 12, 2025
      
      I’ll need to please see a clear photo, which you can post right here in the comments forum. Thank you!
      
      Reply
  2. Pastor Kerry
    
    March 11, 2025
    
    It is a Canadian penny 1971?
    
    Reply
  3. Pastor Kerry
    
    March 11, 2025
    
    Thank you but I found my answer They used pennies to test stamp punches.. Sad
    
    Reply