Rare Wheat Pennies
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Jan 08, 2019 'Holy grail' rare penny might be worth $1.7M after it was found in boy's lunch money. A rare copper penny, considered a 'holy grail' in coins, has been found in a boy's lunch money.
A Bird’s Eye View of the 1929 Penny
- Aug 18, 2020 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.
- Rare 1945 Wheat Penny No Mint Mark (Great Conditon) $200.00. 1941 Lincoln wheat back penny. No mint marking. One cent Nice collectible Rare. 1919 Wheat Penny - Rare. 1944 WHEAT PENNY NO MINT MARK RARE!!!!!
Did you know that in 1929 approximately 185,262,000 pennies were minted? They were referred to as the 1929 pennies or the Lincoln Wheat Penny coins.
The 1929 penny was called a “Wheat Penny” because it had bars of wheat with the words “one cent” stamped at its back instead of the Lincoln Memorial.
If you would like to see how the 1929 penny looks like go and watch this video:
The 1929 penny came in varieties.
Some were minted in Philadelphia, others in Denver and some in San Francisco. The ones from Philadelphia had no mint marks. The ones from Denver had the letter D. Those from San Francisco had the letter S.
1929 penny errors
Coin collectors often fancy coins that have flaws.
The 1929 penny had found its way in the market of coin collectors not because of its metal content but because of some of its flaws. One of the errors seen in the 1929 penny is the weak imprint of the image that was brought about by accumulation of dirt and grease in the die used.
Coin collectors prefer to have the non-circulated pieces of this penny as its value becomes higher due to its rarity.
There are some pieces of the 1929 penny that have an error in the numbers. You would see a few where the last number 9 looks more like the number 7. The damage was brought about by a rolling or counting machine. In most cases the damage is seen in the last digit or letters.
How Much Is The 1929 Penny Worth?
In 1929, copper was considered a valuable metal.
The 1929 penny had no silver content. It was minted mostly of copper.
The value of this coin was never based on its metal content. The value of this penny was primarily based on the condition of the coin.
The 1929 penny can be valued from thirty five cents to as high as $135. The worth of the 1929 penny is dependent on its condition, markings it may have, if it has double stamping and where it was minted.
If the penny is all worn out, its worth goes down, but if it is still shiny then it can be worth more. Usually a penny that is not used in circulation and is kept as part of a collection is valued higher.
Another consideration in the worth of the 1929 penny is the price of copper when the coin is resold. This penny has 95% copper and the rest is alloy. So the value or worth of this penny can go up or down depending on the price of copper in the market.
Where it was minted is another factor in determining the worth of the 1929 penny.
The 1929 penny was minted in the Denver Mint, San Francisco Mint, Pennsylvania Mint and even in Carson City, Nevada.
The pennies minted in Carson City, Nevada can be worth more since rarely are coins minted there. Those that were minted in Denver and Pennsylvania are valued lower since they are the most common.
Coin collectors consider the 1929 wheat penny a good investment.
They can buy it cheap and resell it for a much higher price with all the factors for a good 1929 penny take into consideration. Here is another video that shows pieces of Lincoln wheat pennies in different conditions.
You will learn how to grade these pennies according and see for yourself if the coins in your keeping are worth more than their value.
Who would ever think that a penny can be worth something more? The 1929 penny sure has proven that this is possible.
Rare Wheat Pennies 1946
Even if there were a lot minted during that time but the errors some had that made them rare pieces and collectors’ items and the value of copper that changes in the global economy and market have made the 1929 penny worth more than its value.
So if you are into coin collecting and plan to get something from your collections in the future, maybe the information this article has would be of help to you. Often getting informed becomes an advantage for us.
Resources:
Rare Wheat Pennies For Sale
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.
Rare Wheat Pennies 1918
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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