Top 10 Wheat Pennies to Look For in Your Pocket Change

Wheat pennies, minted from 1909 to 1958, are among the most collected coins in American numismatics. While most are worth only a few cents above face value, certain dates and mint marks can be worth thousands—or even hundreds of thousands—of dollars. Here are the top 10 wheat pennies you should be looking for.

1. 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent — Up to $300,000+

The holy grail of wheat pennies. This was the first year of the Lincoln cent, and the San Francisco mint produced only 484,000 coins with designer Victor David Brenner's initials "VDB" on the reverse. Due to public criticism, the initials were removed after just a few days of production, making this one of the rarest regular-issue U.S. coins.

2. 1914-D Lincoln Cent — Up to $200,000+

With a mintage of only 1.19 million coins, the 1914-D is the key date for Denver mint wheat pennies. Finding one in circulation today is extremely rare, but they do occasionally surface in old collections and coin rolls from banks.

3. 1931-S Lincoln Cent — Up to $150,000+

The Great Depression led to drastically reduced coin production, and the 1931-S had a mintage of only 866,000—the lowest of any regular-issue wheat penny. This coin is highly sought after by collectors completing their wheat penny sets.

4. 1909-S Lincoln Cent (No VDB) — Up to $100,000+

After the VDB initials were removed, the San Francisco mint continued production with a total mintage of about 1.8 million coins. While more common than the VDB variety, this is still a key date that commands premium prices.

5. 1922 "No D" Lincoln Cent — Up to $100,000+

In 1922, only the Denver mint produced Lincoln cents. However, due to worn dies, some coins were struck with a weak or missing "D" mint mark. The "strong reverse" variety with no visible D is the most valuable, as it appears to be a Philadelphia mint coin—which didn't exist that year.

6. 1955 Doubled Die Obverse — Up to $180,000+

One of the most dramatic error coins in U.S. history. The doubling is clearly visible to the naked eye on LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and the date. An estimated 20,000-24,000 were released into circulation before the error was discovered.

7. 1924-D Lincoln Cent — Up to $75,000+

Another low-mintage Denver issue with only 2.52 million produced. The 1924-D is essential for any serious wheat penny collection and commands strong premiums in all grades.

8. 1926-S Lincoln Cent — Up to $60,000+

With a mintage of 4.55 million, the 1926-S isn't the rarest wheat penny, but finding one in high grade is extremely difficult. Most surviving examples show heavy wear from circulation.

9. 1933-D Lincoln Cent — Up to $50,000+

Another Depression-era rarity with a mintage of 6.2 million. While not as rare as the 1931-S, the 1933-D is still a key date that collectors actively seek.

10. 1915-S Lincoln Cent — Up to $40,000+

The San Francisco mint produced only 4.83 million pennies in 1915, making this a semi-key date. High-grade examples are particularly valuable due to the typically weak strikes from this mint.

How to Search for Valuable Wheat Pennies

The best way to find valuable wheat pennies is through "coin roll hunting"—purchasing rolls of pennies from banks and searching through them. While wheat pennies are becoming increasingly rare in circulation, they still turn up. Here are some tips:

• Check the edges first: Wheat pennies have a different edge color than modern zinc cents
• Look for the wheat stalks: The reverse design is the quickest identifier
• Examine mint marks carefully: Use a magnifying glass for S and D marks
• Don't clean your coins: Cleaning destroys value—leave them as-is