Lincoln Penny
1944 Lincoln (Wheat) Penny The Lincoln penny has been produced in the US for almost as long as coins have been produced by the US mint. The 1944 Lincoln penny is particularly desirable in the eyes of collectors not only because of its design, but also due to its scarcity. Lincoln Penny Value is Conditional. To gauge the approximate grade of your Lincoln Penny, you must minutely examine the coin. One simple detail to inspect is the wheat stalks on the coin’s reverse. If the lines at the tops of the wheat stalks remain crisp, clear and robust, the coin may be in extremely fine condition. Find the current Lincoln Cent (Modern) values by year, coin varieties, and specific grade.
Lincoln Penny Collection
Circulating Coins- Year of Issue: 1793 to Present
- Authorizing Legislation: Coinage Act of 1792
Background
The “Union Shield” theme is the current design of the U.S. one-cent coin. The U.S. Mint first issued this design in 2010. The obverse (heads) shows the image of President Abraham Lincoln used on the penny since 1909. The shield on the reverse (tails) represents Lincoln’s preservation of the United States as a single country.
The penny was one of the first coins made by the U.S. Mint after its establishment in 1792. The design on the first penny was of a woman with flowing hair symbolizing liberty. The coin was larger and made of pure copper, while today’s smaller coin is made of copper and zinc.
Liberty stayed on the penny for more than 60 years. In 1857, the coin got smaller and the metal composition changed to 88% copper and 12% nickel. With these changes came new designs. In 1857 and 1858 the new coins featured a flying eagle on the obverse and a wreath on the reverse. The “Indian Head” design appeared from 1859 to 1909.
In 1909, Abraham Lincoln became the first president featured on our coins in honor of his 100th birthday. The Lincoln penny obverse showed the image of Lincoln designed by Victor David Brenner that is still used today. From 1909 to 1958 the reverse featured two sheaves of wheat. From 1959 to 2008, the reverse was an image of the Lincoln Memorial designed by Frank Gasparro to commemorate Lincoln’s 150th birthday.
In 2009, the Mint issued four different pennies throughout the year as part of the Lincoln Bicentennial One Cent Program. The program recognized Lincoln’s 200th birthday and the 100th anniversary of the first Lincoln cent. The themes on the reverses represented the four major aspects of Lincoln’s life.
Unusual Pennies:
- In 1943, pennies were made of zinc-coated steel because copper was needed during World War II.
- At the beginning of 1943, a limited number of copper pennies were struck by mistake.
- In honor of the Mint’s 225th anniversary in 2017, pennies made in Philadelphia had a “P” mint mark for the first time.
- In 2019, the West Point Mint made special collectible pennies with a “W” mint mark.
Other Circulating Coins:
Nickel Dime Quarter Half Dollar
Read MoreRead LessCharacteristics
Obverse (heads): Shows the familiar likeness of President Abraham Lincoln featured since 1909.Reverse (tails): First issued in 2010 and emblematic of Lincoln’s preservation of the United States as a single and united country. It features a union shield with 13 vertical stripes and our national motto in a horizontal bar above. A banner drapes across the front.
Obverse Inscriptions
Lincoln Penny Dates
- LIBERTY
- IN GOD WE TRUST
- Year
Reverse Inscriptions
- UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
- E PLURIBUS UNUM
- ONE CENT
Mint and Mint Mark
Specifications
| Composition | Weight | Diameter | Thickness | Edge | No. of Reeds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Copper Plated Zinc Balance Zn | 2.500 g | 19.05 mm | 1.52 mm | Plain | N/A |
Artist Information
Obverse- Designer: Victor D. Brenner
- Sculptor: Joseph Menna, Medallic Artist
- Designer: Lyndall Bass
Looking for Lincoln Wheat penny values can be tricky because many of the price guides that are available online offer confusing information about what a coin might fetch based on its physical condition.
All too often, online pricing info is tailored to what a “perfect” coin might be worth. That's definitely exciting if you’ve got, say, a 1941 Lincoln cent that “could be” worth $1,000 or $5,000 in pristine condition. But what is a well-worn example from pocket change worth in reality? That’s quite a different story. . .
First, The Bad News. . .
If you’ve come to this page hoping that Lincoln Wheat cent you’ve pulled out of your pocket change is going to pay off your car or help put your kids through college, you might want to be sitting down. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Lincoln Wheat pennies found in circulation, inherited folder collections, or in jars of old coins are worth less than 10 cents apiece.
In fact, with the exceptions of major errors and varieties, no Lincoln wheat penny struck after 1933 is worth more than 10 cents in worn condition, and most are worth only 2 or 3 cents. Well-worn 1943 steel pennies often trade for 5 to 10 cents apiece in well-worn condition. But chances are any of the Lincoln Wheat cents you’ve found in pocket change are going to be worth only a small amount over face value.
Now, The Good News!
While most worn, common-date Lincoln Wheat pennies aren’t worth more than 10 cents, there are many Lincoln Wheat cents that are worth much more, and by quite a bit. There are four major regular-issue key dates in the series and several valuable semi-key dates, varieties, and errors, too.
Key Date Wheat Pennies
The major Lincoln Wheat cent key dates include:
- 1909-S
- 1909-S VDB
- 1914-D
- 1931-S
Important semi-key dates are:
- 1909 VDB
- 1910-S
- 1911-S
- 1912-S
- 1913-S
- 1914-S
- 1915-S
- 1922-D
- 1924-D
- 1926-S
Then there are the “better dates” (or “better issues”)—those that may not necessarily rise to the status of being a bona fide semi-key date but are nevertheless more valuable than the common dates. These include:
- 1909
- 1911-D
- 1912
- 1912-D
- 1913-D
- 1915-D
- 1916-D
- 1916-S
- 1920-D
- 1921-S
- 1923-S
- 1925-D
- 1925-S
- 1926-D
- 1927-D
- 1927-S
- 1928-S
- 1931-D
- 1932
- 1932-D
- 1933
- 1933-D
Finally, there are the varieties and errors, which constitute some of the most valuable Lincoln Wheat pennies in the series. These are not necessarily required for completing a set of Lincoln Wheat cents, yet many collectors pursue them anyway. Here’s a glance at the most widely collected, most popular errors and varieties and what they’re worth:
- 1909-S S Over Horizontal S
- 1917 Doubled Die
- 1922 No D
- 1922 Weak D
- 1943 Bronze
- 1943-D Doubled Mintmark
- 1944 Steel
- 1955 Doubled Die
Steel Wheat cent
What Are These Wheat Pennies Worth?
The chart below provides an approximate estimate on retail values for the Lincoln cents individually listed above. It also provides values for the Wheat penny date ranges not specifically mentioned above. Value breakdowns are for coins in average circulated (VG8 to VF20) condition and average uncirculated condition (MS62-MS64).
*Values above are for problem-free coins with no signs of damage, including holes, major gouges, scratches, or cleanings.
Collecting Lincoln Wheat Cents
The Lincoln penny is not just one of the most widely collected issues among all United States coinage, but it’s also one of the most familiar coins anywhere in the world. While the Lincoln Wheat cent is a long-obsolete coin that has been gradually disappearing from circulation over the past decades, it remains one of the first coin collectors begin searching for. Yet, even many of the most advanced collectors stick to collecting Lincoln cents throughout their lives.
A great many numismatists focus on studying and collecting Lincoln Wheat cents exclusively, in part because the series is so complex and lends to so many incredible finds. New discoveries are still being made among the Lincoln Wheat penny, including repunched mintmarks and other minor and major die varieties of varying significance.
Many collectors will build sets of Lincoln Wheat pennies using cardboard folders, deluxe albums, or museum-quality Lucite holders. Then there are the collectors who seek high-grade examples encapsulated by third-party coin grading firms and use these coins to build registry sets. But there is no right or wrong way to collect Lincoln pennies!
As Lincoln Wheat penny values range all over the price spectrum, the series offers something for just about everybody regardless of their income or collecting level. And, because of this, the Lincoln cent reigns to this day as one of the most versatile, beloved coin series and rightly claims a strong following of millions of collectors in the United States and around the globe.
Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez is a journalist, editor, and blogger who has won multiple awards from the Numismatic Literary Guild. He has also authored numerous books, including works profiling the history of the United States Mint and United States coinage.
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