Cent · 1909–1958

Lincoln Wheat Cent

Abraham Lincoln's portrait facing right, with IN GOD WE TRUST above, LIBERTY to the left, and the date to the right. Two wheat stalks framing the words ONE CENT and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, with E PLURIBUS UNUM across the top.

Designer

Victor D. Brenner

Diameter

19.05 mm

Edge

Plain

Mint mark

Obverse (front), below the date

Composition

1909–1942: 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc (bronze) · 3.11 g

1943–1943: Zinc-coated steel (silvery color, sticks to a magnet) — copper was needed for World War II · 2.7 g Silver

1944–1958: 95% copper, 5% zinc (brass, partly from recycled shell casings) · 3.11 g

Did you know? The very first Lincoln cents of 1909 carried designer Victor D. Brenner's initials V.D.B. at the bottom of the back — public outcry over the 'advertising' got them removed within days, creating the famous 1909-S VDB rarity.

Beginner tip: Always check the date and the spot just below it for a mint mark — the big money combinations are 1909-S, 1914-D, 1922 with no D, 1931-S, and any 1943 that does NOT stick to a magnet.

Key dates to look for

1909-S Wheat Cent

$80 – $350 in circulated grades

Low-mintage first-year San Francisco issue (without VDB initials)

1931-S Wheat Cent

$60 – $150 in circulated grades

Depression-era date with under a million struck — many were saved, so nice ones exist

1924-D Wheat Cent

$30 – $200 in circulated grades

Semi-key Denver date that is tough in any grade

1926-S Wheat Cent

$10 – $150+ depending on wear

Cheap when worn but very hard to find in high grade

1922-D Wheat Cent

$15 – $100 with a clear D

Only Denver struck cents in 1922 — and check for the famous 'No D' version

Valuable varieties & errors

1909-S VDB

rare

$650 – $2,500+ even heavily worn

The most famous U.S. cent: only 484,000 were struck in San Francisco before the designer's initials were removed from the design. It combines the scarce S mint mark with the short-lived VDB initials.

How to check: Look for an S under the date on the front, then flip the coin and check the bottom rim of the back, centered between the wheat stalks — genuine coins have small raised letters V.D.B. there. Because fakers add fake S marks to 1909 VDB cents, compare the S shape to certified photos or have it graded.

1914-D

rare

$150 – $3,000+ depending on wear

A low-mintage Denver date that nobody saved at the time, so most surviving examples are heavily worn. It is the most valuable regular-issue wheat cent after the 1909-S VDB.

How to check: Check the date 1914 and look for a small D directly below it. Beware of altered coins: a common trick is removing the first 4 from a 1944-D — on a real 1914-D the 9 and 1 in the date are spaced wide apart, and there are no designer initials on Lincoln's shoulder (those appeared in 1918).

1917 Doubled Die Obverse

rare

$100 – $3,000+ depending on wear

A strong early doubled die on the front of the coin, recognized by PCGS and NGC. It is scarce because few people searched for it before the 1970s.

How to check: With a loupe, look at the date and the motto IN GOD WE TRUST — the doubled die shows a clear second outline on 1917 (strongest on the 7) and on TRUST, shifted toward the rim. The two outlines are fully separated, not flat shelf-like doubling.

1922 No D (Strong Reverse)

extreme

$400 – $5,000+ (authentication strongly recommended)

In 1922 only Denver made cents, but one overworked, grease-clogged die pair struck coins with no visible D at all. Since every 1922 cent should have a D, the ones without it became famous overnight.

How to check: Find a 1922 cent with absolutely no trace of a D below the date, then flip it over: the valuable 'Die Pair 2' coins have a sharp, well-struck back. If the mint mark is faint-but-there, or the back is mushy, it is a much cheaper 'Weak D' coin. The second 2 in the date is stronger than the first on the real No D.

1943 Bronze Cent

extreme

$100,000 – $1,000,000+ (must be professionally authenticated)

In 1943 cents were supposed to be steel, but a few leftover bronze blanks from 1942 were struck by mistake at all three mints. Only about two dozen exist, making this the most famous error coin in America.

How to check: Test any 1943 cent with a magnet: steel cents stick, a genuine bronze one does not. Then weigh it — bronze is about 3.11 grams versus 2.7 for steel — and check that the 3 in the date has the long straight tail of a genuine 1943 (fakers alter 1945s and 1948s or copper-plate steel cents, which still stick to the magnet).

1944 Steel Cent

extreme

$25,000 – $125,000+ (must be professionally authenticated)

The reverse mistake of the 1943 bronze cent: in 1944 the Mint switched back to brass, but a few leftover steel blanks got struck. Roughly 30 to 40 are known across the three mints.

How to check: A genuine 1944 steel cent is silvery-gray and sticks to a magnet — any 1944 cent that a magnet grabs deserves a closer look. Weigh it too: about 2.7 grams instead of 3.11. Beware of ordinary 1944 cents that have been silver-plated; those do not stick to a magnet.

1955 Doubled Die Obverse

extreme

$1,000 – $18,000+ depending on wear

The most famous doubled die ever made: a misaligned die impression doubled the entire front of the coin, and about 20,000 to 24,000 escaped into circulation, many handed out in cigarette-machine change in the Northeast.

How to check: You do not even need a loupe — the date 1955, LIBERTY, and IN GOD WE TRUST all show bold, fully separated doubling, like the words were printed twice slightly apart. If the doubling looks flat and shelf-like or only shows on parts of letters, it is the common worthless 'poor man's double die' from machine doubling.

1958 Doubled Die Obverse

extreme

$200,000 – $1,000,000+

The rarest Lincoln doubled die: only three examples are confirmed to exist, and one sold for over a million dollars in 2023. How it left the Mint remains a mystery.

How to check: Look for dramatic, fully separated doubling on IN GOD WE TRUST and LIBERTY — as bold as the famous 1955 — but note the date itself shows little doubling. With only three known, treat any suspect as a curiosity until a grading service says otherwise.

Error types found on this series

Doubled Die (Obverse)

The front design shows a second, shifted image because the die itself was made doubled.

Doubled Die (Reverse)

Same as a doubled die obverse, but the doubling appears on the back of the coin.

Repunched Mint Mark (RPM)

The mint mark was punched into the die more than once, slightly off position, leaving a doubled letter.

Off-Center Strike

The blank wasn't centered when struck, so part of the design is missing and part of the coin is blank.

Clipped Planchet

A bite-shaped piece of the coin is missing because the blank was punched from an already-punched part of the metal strip.

Lamination Error

A thin layer of the coin's metal peels, flakes, or cracks off because the alloy was poorly mixed.

Wrong Planchet

A coin struck on a blank intended for a different denomination or country — like a quarter design on a nickel blank.

Die Cud

A piece of the die broke off at the rim, leaving a raised featureless blob attached to the coin's edge.

Die Crack

A crack in the die fills with metal during the strike, leaving a thin raised line on the coin.

Grease-Filled Die (Struck Through Grease)

Grease and debris packed into the die's recesses blocked part of the design, leaving weak or missing details.

Machine Doubling

The die bounced or chattered at the moment of striking, smearing a flat shelf-like second edge onto the design.

Real photos where available (credits); others are illustrations.

Have one of these?

Identify your exact coin and see what to check for.

Identify my penny