1909-S VDB Key Date Wheat Penny

In 1909, Victor D. Brenner, a New York sculptor, was asked to redesign the wheat penny to commemorate the 100th birthday of Abraham Lincoln. Brenner featured a profile of Lincoln on his design. This was the first US coin to feature a president on its face. Brenner's newly designed penny was minted from 1909 to 1958.

Brenner, as the designer of the new penny, was allowed to put his initials, "VDB", on the reverse side of the penny, on the bottom, between the ears of wheat. This wasn't a popular decision with the public and they demanded his initials be removed. They claimed that Brenner had already been paid for the design and additional recognition was not needed. Brenner's initials were added back to the coin in 1918, but this time on the face (obverse) of the coin, below Lincoln's shoulder.

The VDB penny was only minted for 2 days in 1909. After that, Victor D. Brenner's initials were removed. In 1909, pennies were only minted in two locations - Philadelphia and San Francisco, so there are 4 varieties of the 1909 penny:

1909 VDB Wheat Penny (no mint mark - minted in Philadelphia)
1909-S VDB Wheat Penny (minted in San Francisco)
1909 Wheat Penny (no mint mark - made in Philadelphia)
1909-S Wheat Penny (minted in San Francisco)

The 1909-S VDB wheat penny, with a mintage of 484,000 is the rarest, and most valuable of the 4 varieties. It is a key date wheat penny, meaning it is highly sought after and collectible and is more valuable than the average coin due to its scarcity and collectibility. This is a coin that would be a highlight of any wheat penny collection.


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