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1952 Penny Value: Find Out How Much Your 1952 Wheat Pennies Are Worth (Up To $9,000!) 

by Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez

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Have a 1952 penny and want to know what it’s worth?

You may be in luck, as some 1952 pennies have values ranging into the hundreds of dollars… even thousands! Other 1952 wheat pennies are worth only a few cents.

So how do you know if your 1952 wheat penny is rare and valuable or worth little more than face value?

Read on to find out:

  • How much 1952 Lincoln cents are worth
  • How many 1952 wheat pennies were made
  • Valuable errors you should be looking for on 1952 pennies

How Much Is A 1952 Penny Worth?

Some 1952 pennies are worth hundreds of dollars... even thousands. In fact, one 1952 wheat penny sold for nearly $9,000!

The most valuable 1952 wheat penny sold to date is a Philadelphia (no-mintmark) issue certified by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and graded Mint State-67 Red — which is a nearly perfect penny with original color that looks about as new as the day the coin was made! The record price paid for this coin is $9,775.

Chances are your 1952 penny isn’t worth nearly as much — especially if it was found in your pocket change and has some wear from being in circulation. But you’ll be glad to know that even the most well-worn 1952 wheat pennies are worth more than face value!

Here’s how much 1952 wheat pennies are worth today:

  • Any regular 1952 penny that has wear but does not exhibit errors or contain die varieties — 3 to 10 cents
  • A 1952 no mintmark penny that is uncirculated, or in Mint State condition — 75 cents or more
  • A 1952-D penny that is uncirculated, or Mint State — 75 cents or more
  • A 1952-S penny in Mint State condition — $1.25+
  • Proof 1952 pennies (which were made at the Philadelphia Mint for coin collectors) — $15 to $3,000

IMPORTANT: What Is The Grade Of Your 1952 Penny?

To determine the true value of your 1952 penny, you first need to know what condition (or grade) your coin is in.


These are the best coin grading apps that make grading coins yourself SO much easier!

Rare 1952 Wheat Penny Errors & How Much They’re Worth

There are many kinds of 1952 penny errors, including doubled dies, repunched mintmarks, off-center strikes, and other error oddities. So be sure to check your spare change!

Doubled Die vs. Machine Doubling: You may have heard of doubled die pennies and think that you have one if any part of the coin appears doubled. In most cases, doubling is caused not by a doubled die but machine doubling — which is a non-valuable strike defect and not an error.

The 1955 doubled die penny is one of the most valuable coin errors around — and many people are aware of it. But not all doubled die pennies are worth big bucks. Doubled die coin values largely depend on how scarce the variety is and how much demand there is for it by collectors.

In the case of 1952 doubled die pennies, they generally aren’t as much in demand as the 1955 error penny, but that doesn’t mean 1952 error pennies aren’t worth looking for! Many are rare coins that are much scarcer than the 1955 doubled die penny — it’s just that fewer collectors know about them.

1952 Error Pennies To Look For:

  • 1952 doubled die penny — $3 to $10 or more
  • 1952-S doubled die penny — $3 to $10 or more
  • 1952 off-center pennies (all mints) — $3 or more, with much greater potential value for a coin with less design but the date still showing
  • 1952 repunched mintmarks (D and S mints) — $1 to $5
  • 1952 pennies with die breaks (raised cracks or blobs of metal on the coin) — $3 to $5 or more
  • Other 1952 penny errors that look unusual — value depends on the magnitude of the error and demand

There are always new errors and varieties being uncovered, even on old pennies. So, don’t give up on looking for cool error coins. You may just discover a new error on an old coin!

How Many 1952 Pennies Were Made?

1952-D penny value

More than 1 billion wheat pennies were made in 1952.

Here’s a list of the four 1952 penny issues and how many were made of each:

  • 1952 no mintmark penny (Philadelphia mint) — 186,775,000 minted
  • 1952-D penny (Denver mint) — 746,130,000 minted
  • 1952-S penny (San Francisco mint) — 137,800,004 minted
  • 1952 proof penny (Philadelphia mint) — 81,980 minted

NOTE: These numbers are official production numbers (or how many pennies were made). A great deal of the coins reflected in the numbers above — perhaps most of the circulation (non-proof) strikes — have been damaged, lost, melted, or otherwise no longer exist. Thus, the number of surviving 1952 pennies is actually much scarcer than the above mintage figures may suggest.

Do you have a 1952 wheat penny? Think there may be something unique about it? Post a picture of your coin in the comments below and I’ll try to help!

PUBLISHED February 14, 2023
UPDATED July 20, 2026

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!

7 responses to “1952 Penny Value: Find Out How Much Your 1952 Wheat Pennies Are Worth (Up To $9,000!) ”

    1. JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide Avatar
      JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide

      Hello, Megan!

      It appears your 1952-D penny may have been lightly cleaned and is in the process of retoning. Its value is around 3 to 5 cents.

      Thank you for reaching out,
      Josh

    1. JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide Avatar
      JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide

      Hi, Annita —

      These are two gorgeous Lincoln Wheat pennies with nice, original color.

      Here is more info on the value of 1919 pennies: https://uscoinsguide.com/1919-penny-value/

      Meanwhile, your 1952-D penny would be worth somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 to 10 cents.

      Thank you for reaching out,
      Josh

  1. lisad Avatar
    lisad

    I have a roll of 1952-s Wheat pennies can anyone tell me what they would be worth? They have only been out of the roll one time.

    1. JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide Avatar
      JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide

      Hi, Lisad —

      The value would depend mainly on the individual condition of each coin, especially as the roll has been opened and is no longer original/sealed or numismatically unsearched.

      Best wishes,
      Josh

      1. lisad Avatar
        lisad

        could you tell me where is the best place to go or person to take these to? or list them with?

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