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Wheat Penny Values Guide
“What’s the value of my wheat pennies?”
That’s the main question I keep getting. And I’m glad this is so, because Lincoln cents have long been my specialty.
In fact, that’s the first coin I ever collected. And, to this day, that’s the coin series that I still focus my coin collecting efforts on.
When I was a new coin collector I, too, used to wonder what the value of wheat pennies was — simply because they’re obsolete coins that, by the very nature of their being old, are not seen in circulation very often anymore.
In fact, my first coin was a 1941 penny, with a value that was far less than I would’ve imagined for a coin so old (around 10 cents).
But I learned that not all wheat cents are worth so little. Many are worth quite a lot more than that. In fact, every wheat penny is worth at least 10x face value, and some scarce wheat pennies are worth over $1,000 apiece!
Still, though, you want to know what the value of your wheat pennies is. If for nothing else than to satisfy your curiosity, this Lincoln wheat penny value guide is for you.
So, without further ado, here is information about the value of wheat pennies today. I hope you’re sitting down… yours may be worth the big bucks!
Wheat Penny Values Today
NOTE: Wheat pennies are assumed to be in grades of Good-4 (heavily worn with only a few major details showing). Values are based on several sources — including information from A Guide Book of United States Coins by R.S. Yeoman and the PCGS online price guide.
Early Wheat Penny Values (1909-1919)
| 1909 $3+ | 1912-S $20+ | 1916-D $1+ |
| 1909 VDB $10+ | 1913 85+ cents | 1916-S $1.50+ |
| 1909-S $80+ | 1913-D $3+ | 1917 30+ cents |
| 1909-S VDB $750+ | 1913-S $12+ | 1917-D 80+ cents |
| 1910 50+ cents | 1914 75+ cents | 1917-S 50+ cents |
| 1910-S $15+ | 1914-D $175+ | 1918 20+ cents |
| 1911 45+ cents | 1914-S $20+ | 1918-D 75+ cents |
| 1911-D $5+ | 1915 $1.50+ | 1918-S 50+ cents |
| 1911-S $35+ | 1915-D $2+ | 1919 20+ cents |
| 1912 $1+ | 1915-S $20+ | 1919-D 50+ cents |
| 1912-D $6+ | 1916 30+ cents | 1919-S 20+ cents |
1920s Wheat Penny Values
| 1920 20+ cents | 1924 20+ cents | 1927 20+ cents |
| 1920-D 25+ cents | 1924-D $30+ | 1927-D 50+ cents |
| 1920-S 25+ cents | 1924-S $1+ | 1927-S 50+ cents |
| 1921 20+ cents | 1925 20+ cents | 1928 20+ cents |
| 1921-S $1+ | 1925-D 30+ cents | 1928-D 20+ cents |
| 1922-D $15+ | 1925-S 25+ cents | 1928-S 35+ cents |
| 1922 plain $500+ | 1926 20+ cents | 1929 20+ cents |
| 1923 20+ cents | 1926-D 25+ cents | 1929-D 20+ cents |
| 1923-S $2+ | 1926-S $5+ | 1929-S 20+ cents |
1930s Wheat Penny Values
| 1930 15+ cents | 1933-D $2+ | 1937 5+ cents |
| 1930-D 20+ cents | 1934 5+ cents | 1937-D 10+ cents |
| 1930-S 20+ cents | 1934-D 10+ cents | 1937-S 10+ cents |
| 1931 35+ cents | 1935 5+ cents | 1938 10+ cents |
| 1931-D $4+ | 1935-D 10+ cents | 1938-D 20+ cents |
| 1931-S $100+ | 1935-S 15+ cents | 1938-S 40+ cents |
| 1932 $1.50+ | 1936 5+ cents | 1939 10+ cents |
| 1932-D $1+ | 1936-D 10+ cents | 1939-D 50+ cents |
| 1933 $1+ | 1936-S 15+ cents | 1939-S 15+ cents |
1940s Wheat Penny Values
| 1940 5+ cents | 1943-D 10+ cents | 1946-S 10+ cents |
| 1940-D 10+ cents | 1943-S 15+ cents | 1947 10+ cents |
| 1940-S 10+ cents | 1944 5+ cents | 1947-D 10+ cents |
| 1941 5+ cents | 1944-D 10+ cents | 1947-S 20+ cents |
| 1941-D 5+ cents | 1944-S 10+ cents | 1948 5+ cents |
| 1941-S 15+ cents | 1945 5+ cents | 1948-D 10+ cents |
| 1942 5+ cents | 1945-D 10+ cents | 1948-S 15+ cents |
| 1942-D 10+ cents | 1945-S 15+ cents | 1949 10+ cents |
| 1942-S 15+ cents | 1946 5+ cents | 1949-D 10+ cents |
| 1943 10+ cents | 1946-D 10+ cents | 1949-S 25+ cents |
1950s Wheat Penny Values
| 1950 10+ cents | 1952-S 15+ cents | 1955-D 10+ cents |
| 1950-D 10+ cents | 1953 5+ cents | 1955-S 15+ cents |
| 1950-S 15+ cents | 1953-D 5+ cents | 1956 5+ cents |
| 1951 5+ cents | 1953-S 10+ cents | 1956-D 5+ cents |
| 1951-D 10+ cents | 1954 25+ cents | 1957 5+ cents |
| 1951-S 25+ cents | 1954-D 5+ cents | 1957-D 5+ cents |
| 1952 5+ cents | 1954-S 5+ cents | 1958 5+ cents |
| 1952-D 10+ cents | 1955 5+ cents | 1958-D 5+ cents |
IMPORTANT: What Is The Grade Of Your Wheat Penny?
To determine the value of your wheat penny, you first need to know what condition (or grade) your coin is in.
Grab a coin magnifier and then, watch this video to see how to grade coins yourself at home:
These coin grading apps make grading coins yourself even easier.
The Bottom Line
As you can see, the value of your wheat penny is primarily dependent on its date — with scarcer years being worth much more than those that are more common.
However, wheat penny values also hinge on the coin’s state of preservation. The less wear your coin has, the more it is worth.
Here’s what you need to know about penny grades.
Since most people ask me about values of wheat pennies they have found in pocket change, I decided to list the values for very low-grade coins in the chart above. So, if you have a wheat penny in a higher grade, you can be confident that is almost surely worth more than the prices you see listed here!
No matter what the value of your wheat pennies may be, remember that all Lincoln cents made between 1909 and 1958 are now considered obsolete — so they’re definitely worth hanging onto!
After all, these coins are becoming even scarcer (especially in circulation), and are increasingly valued by collectors who want to assemble complete sets of this highly popular coin.
TIP: You can often find valuable old wheat pennies while looking through rolls of coins from the bank. (The best part: It doesn’t cost anything to do this!)
Do you have an old wheat penny? Think there may be something unique about it? Post a picture of your wheat cent in the comments below and I’ll try to help!
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