10 Most Valuable Wheat Pennies

Have you ever been curious about wheat penny values?

Lots of people wonder about the value of wheat pennies. Many people have a stash of wheat pennies in a jar or an old box, somewhere. But, not many people know which of these wheat pennies, if any, are worth something, because most people aren't familiar with the value of wheat pennies.

When it comes to the value of wheat pennies, keep in mind that these days, copper prices are such that most wheat pennies are worth at least 3 times their face value just for the copper content, alone. But some wheat pennies in your collection may be worth a LOT more - that is, if you know which ones to look for.

Wheat penny values range from a few cents to over 6 figures, depending on the wheat penny date, mint mark, and grade (condition). Wheat penny values vary from source to source, so use this as a rough guide, rather than a definitive source of wheat penny values.

The following are the 10 most valuable wheat pennies you may already have in your collection. They are listed in order, according to their wheat penny values.

1) 1943 Copper Wheat Penny - The 1943 copper wheat penny shouldn't exist. It was minted in error. You see, in 1943, pennies were supposed to be made of steel, not copper, as copper was need for the Allied war effort. Some copper blanks were left in the press, though, so a few 1943 copper wheat pennies were made by accident. These are very rare and one of the most valuable wheat pennies.

2) 1944 Steel Wheat Penny - The 1944 steel wheat penny shouldn't exist, either. In 1944, they stopped making pennies out of steel and went back to copper. Once again, though, some steel blanks left over from the 1943 batch were left in the machine and some 1944 steel wheat pennies were made by accident. These are also very rare and one of the most valuable wheat pennies. They can also be worth over 6 figures if you can find them.

3) 1909-S VDB Wheat Penny - The 1909-S VDB wheat penny is the most valuable regular issue wheat penny. You can expect to find that this coin retails from around $700-$2000, depending on the condition. In reality, you could expect a dealer to pay you in the neighborhood of $550 for a 1909-S VDB wheat penny in average condition. In conditions above average, you could expect a lot more.

4) 1955 Double Die Error Wheat Penny - The 1955 Double Die wheat penny is an error coin that was given a partially doubled image when it was struck. You could expect to see a 1955 double die error wheat penny retail for $600-$5000 in circulated condition and up to tens of thousands of dollars in uncirculated condition. Realistically, you could expect to get around $550 from a dealer for a 1955 double die penny in average condition. Once again, remember that the value of wheat pennies goes up, sometimes WAY up, as is the case with the 1955 double die, as the condition of the coin goes up.

5) 1922 Plain (1922 No D) Wheat Penny - The 1922 plain wheat penny, also known as the 1922 "No D" wheat penny, was minted in Denver, like all of the pennies in 1922. As such, all of the pennies from 1922 should have a "D" mint mark. Some pennies, though, due to a defective die set, were minted without the "D" mint mark. These wheat pennies retail from $650-$40,000, depending on condition. In reality, you could expect to get in the ballpark of $415 for a 1922 Plain "No D" wheat penny in average condition. Coins in better than average condition would fetch more.

6) 1914-D Wheat Penny - The 1914-D wheat penny retails from $225-$3500, depending on the condition. A dealer would tend to pay around $125, on average, for a 1914-D wheat penny in average condition and would pay more for a coin in better condition.

7) 1909-S Wheat Penny - The 1909-S wheat penny retails for $100-$500, on average, depending on the condition. You could generally expect to get around $50 from a dealer for a 1909-S wheat penny in average condition. You could get more for a coin in better condition.

8) 1931-S Wheat Penny - The 1931-S wheat penny retails for $115-$250 dollars, depending on its condition. If you were to try to sell your 1931-S wheat penny to a dealer, you could reasonably expect to get about $50 if your penny is in average condition and more if the condition was better.

9) 1924-D Wheat Penny - You could realistically expect to get in the neighborhood of $17.75 from a dealer for a 1924-D wheat penny in average condition. You could get a bit more for coins in better condition, because wheat penny values rise as the condition of the coin does.

10) 1911-S Wheat Penny - You could reasonably expect to receive around $15.50 from a dealer for a 1911-S wheat penny in average condition. You could get a bit more for coins in better condition.


If you are curious about other wheat penny values, we will be adding a very comprehensive list of the value of wheat pennies very soon. Be sure to bookmark us and check back real soon. I will link to the new wheat penny values section from here.