Lincoln Wheat Cent (1909–1958)

The Lincoln cent with the wheat-ears reverse was struck for fifty years and passed through nearly every American hand of the period. Most wheat cents are common, which is exactly what makes the scarce ones interesting: a handful of dates and varieties carry real premiums, and they have been faked for as long as people have collected them.

Here is how the series came about, how to grade it, which coins matter and why, and how wheat cents trade on Changes Hands.

Quick facts

History: Lincoln at one hundred

The cent was redesigned for the 1909 centennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth, replacing the Indian Head cent. It was the first regular-issue circulating US coin to carry the portrait of a real person rather than an allegorical Liberty. The sculptor was Victor David Brenner, a Lithuanian-born medalist working in New York.

Brenner placed his initials, VDB, prominently at the bottom of the reverse. Within days of release the initials drew complaints and were removed, which created two of the series' defining coins: the 1909 VDB, struck in large numbers at Philadelphia, and the 1909-S VDB, struck in San Francisco before the change. The initials returned in 1918, much smaller, on Lincoln's shoulder.

Wartime needs changed the metal twice. In 1943 cents were struck in zinc-coated steel to save copper, and from 1944 to 1946 the Mint used brass recovered in part from spent shell cases. The wheat reverse ended in 1958; from 1959 the Lincoln Memorial took its place.

How to grade a wheat cent

Wear starts on Lincoln's cheekbone, jaw, the hair above the ear and the bow tie, and on the tops of the wheat stalks. The wheat lines are the most useful guide on the reverse. Under the Changes Hands Grading Standard, a coin must meet each band's diagnostics on both sides:

• Good: full date and mint mark readable, LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST readable, wheat stalks outlined.
• Very Good: LIBERTY complete and clear of the rim, ear and bow tie outlined, at least half the lines in the upper wheat visible.
• Fine: some hair detail, a distinct ear and jaw, wheat lines on most of each stalk.
• Very Fine: all wheat lines complete and separated, with light wear only at the tops.
• Extremely Fine: wear only on the cheekbone, jaw and hair above the ear; sharp wheat lines to the top.

Color: BN, RB and RD

Copper changes color as it ages. Certified cents carry a color designation: BN (brown), RB (red-brown) or RD (red, mostly original mint color). In uncirculated grades the difference between brown and full red is large. Bright pink or orange copper on a worn coin is not original color; it is a sign of cleaning, and graders treat it as a problem. House-graded pools at Changes Hands accept natural brown coins only, and coins with significant original red are referred for certification.

Fakes and alterations

The key dates have been altered for decades. The classic 1914-D fake is a 1944-D with the second 4 reshaped into a 1; because genuine 1914 cents have no initials on the shoulder, a VDB on the shoulder of a 1914-D gives the game away. An S can be added to a Philadelphia 1909 VDB, and a D can be removed from a 1922-D to imitate the 1922 No D. A copper-colored 1943 is almost always a plated steel cent or an altered 1948; a magnet settles the first case. Strike doubling, which looks flat and shelf-like, is often mistaken for a true doubled die.

Buying and selling wheat cents on Changes Hands

Everyday wheat cents trade in house-graded pools: 1934–1958 in Very Fine delivers any date and mint in that range that meets the band, and mid dates 1909–1933 in Fine covers Philadelphia and Denver coins from the earlier years. The keys trade on their own books, from the 1909-S VDB in house Good to the 1909-S VDB in PCGS VF30, the 1914-D in PCGS F12, the 1943 steel cent in house Fine and the 1955 Doubled Die Obverse in PCGS XF45. Worn and unsorted coins go to the cull bulk class.

Buyers pay nothing beyond the price. Sellers pay 3% and a one-time grading fee when a coin sells, never up front. Cheap coins usually make most sense left in the vault and resold there, since shipping home costs $35 per shipment plus $3 per coin. Details are on the fees page.

Key dates

Lincoln Wheat Cent markets

• Lincoln Wheat Cent, Culls
• Lincoln Wheat Cent, Wheat cents 1934–1958, Good
• Lincoln Wheat Cent, Wheat cents 1934–1958, Very Fine
• Lincoln Wheat Cent, Wheat cents 1934–1958, Extremely Fine
• Lincoln Wheat Cent, Mid dates 1909–1933 P and D, Good
• Lincoln Wheat Cent, Mid dates 1909–1933 P and D, Fine
• Lincoln Cent 1909-S VDB, House Good
• Lincoln Cent 1914-D, House Good
• Lincoln Cent 1931-S, House Good
• Lincoln Cent 1943 Steel, House Fine
• Lincoln Cent 1909-S VDB, PCGS VF30
• Lincoln Cent 1909-S VDB, NGC XF40
• Lincoln Cent 1914-D, PCGS F12
• Lincoln Cent 1931-S, PCGS VF30
• Lincoln Cent 1955 Doubled Die Obverse, PCGS XF45

Frequently asked questions

Which wheat pennies are worth money?

The 1909-S VDB, 1909-S, 1914-D, 1922 No D, 1924-D, 1926-S and 1931-S are the main keys and semi-keys, along with the 1955 and 1917 doubled dies and the 1943 bronze and 1944 steel errors. Most other dates are common, though any wheat cent in high grade with original red color can carry a premium. This is general information, not investment advice.

What is a 1909-S VDB penny?

A cent struck at San Francisco in 1909 with Victor D. Brenner's initials on the reverse, before the initials were removed. Only 484,000 were made, which makes it the best-known key date in the series and one of the most frequently faked.

Is a 1943 steel penny valuable?

Most 1943 steel cents are common; over a billion were struck across the three mints. Well-preserved examples and the scarcer mints in high grade sell for more. A copper-colored 1943 that is not magnetic could be the famous bronze error, but most are altered dates and should be authenticated.

Are wheat pennies made of copper?

Mostly. Wheat cents are 95% copper with tin and zinc, except the 1943 steel cents and the 1944–1946 cents made of brass from shell cases. Their copper content is small, so value comes from date, condition and variety.

What do RD, RB and BN mean on a wheat penny?

They are color designations used by PCGS and NGC: RD for coins with nearly full original red, RB for a mix of red and brown, and BN for brown. Color has a large effect on value in uncirculated grades.

Related series

• Indian Head Cent
• Buffalo Nickel
• Jefferson Nickel