Wheat Penny Fun Facts

*The first year of the wheat penny was 1909, the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birthdate.

*The wheat penny was designed by Victor D. Brenner, a New York sculptor. His initials were on a limited number of the 1909 pennies, making them very collectible and very valuable.

*1 pound of wheat pennies equals around 150 pennies.

*The average penny lasts 25 years.

*The wheat penny was the first US 1 cent coin to have the words, "In God We Trust" on it.

*I've read that the average American household has $93.75 worth of pennies stashed away.

*Look closely and you'll find a "VDB", the initials of the wheat penny designer, Victor D. Brenner, on the very bottom of Abraham Lincoln's shoulder on wheat pennies dated between 1918 and 1958.

*The wheat penny design replaced the US Indian Head design which ended in the middle of 1909.

*The wheat penny was originally made as just a one-year-issue commemorative coin to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birthday, but because the coin was so well recived, the government decided to continue with the Lincoln wheat penny design.

*The front (obverse side) of the Lincoln cent is the longest running design of any coin currently being minted.

*A wheat penny (as well as all other US pennies) are not really pennies. The term "penny' is used by Great Britain to identify their small British copper coin. The Us government has never officially called our 1 cent coin a penny. Officially, the US coin is called the "cent", not the "penny".

*A “D” below the date of a wheat penny means the coin was minted at the United States government mint in Denver. “S” means it was minted at the San Francisco mint. No letter below the date means it was minted at the US mint in Philadelphia.

*The Memorial back replaced the Wheat penny in 1959. The memorial cent will celebrate it’s 50th anniversary in 2009.

*On the wheat penny (and other Lincoln cents), Lincoln faces to the right, while all other portraits on coins face to the left. This was simply the choice of the coin designer, Victor D. Brenner.