Most Valuable Wheat Pennies

1943-S copper Lincoln Wheat Penny, $185,000 – The 1943-S copper cent is the one of the most valuable small cents, with one example having sold for a cool $1 million at an auction in 2012. The Lincoln Wheat Cent holds a near and dear place in my money hording heart! It was the first coin I started with when beginning this coin and bill collecti.

  • 1930 Lincoln Wheat Pennies
Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez

Coin Info

N/A
United States
Copper Coin
Valuable
$0.01 USD
157,415,000

Most Valuable Wheat Pennies 1940

What
U.S. Mint
1930

1930 Lincoln Wheat Penny coins are highly common across all three of the mints that produced them that year: Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco. Yet, despite the fact that they are highly plentiful in just about every grade from any of the three U.S. Mint locations in operation that year, 1930 Pennies still fall into the “pre-1934” Lincoln Cent category that is typified by one-cent coins with generally lower mintages than their post-1933 counterparts; more importantly a great deal of pre-1934 Lincoln Pennies weren’t saved in massive quantities, so finding high-end specimens can be an especially daunting task.

Most Valuable Wheat Pennies

Mintage numbers are definitely high enough to suggest that no variety of this coin is a rare specimen. In fact, 157,415,000 Lincoln Pennies were minted at the Philadelphia Mint. 1930-D (Denver Mint) and 1930-S (San Francisco Mint) Lincoln Cents originally numbered 40,100,000 and 24,286,000, respectively.

1930 Lincoln Wheat Penny coins are particularly inexpensive in the lower grades, costing from between 10 cents and 25 cents in Good-4. Even in Mint State 63 on the Sheldon Coin Grading Scale, a 1930, 1930-D, and 1930-S are reasonably priced. $15 will buy an MS-63 specimen of the 1930, while $20 will purchase a 1930-S in that same grade and $30 will be enough to snag a 1930-D in brilliant uncirculated. If you need to pay a few bucks more to acquire any of these in “red,” do so, as you will not be disappointed.

Previous year: the 1929 Lincoln Wheat Penny

Following year: the 1931 Lincoln Wheat Penny

Other Years From This Coin Series

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Most Valuable Wheat Pennies Worth Today

Many people have amazing treasures in their possession and don’t even know it. Antiques handed down from relatives. Paintings hanging on the walls. A stack of old books in the basement. Some of the most incredible collectible items sit undetected for decades as their owners simply don’t consider them having much value. Many times they might not even realize they own them at all. Even among the loose change in your desk drawer, an undiscovered nugget could be hiding. It just might pay off to familiarize yourself with the most valuable wheat pennies.

The facts are that many people have no idea an old penny could have much value. If you find a wheat penny lying around, you might want to take a closer look. You could have a coin worth thousands of dollars right under your nose.

The Top 25 Most Valuable Pennies Which Old Pennies Are The ...

Production

The wheat penny was minted in Philadelphia and San Francisco from 1909 to 1956. It’s mostly made from copper, with steel coins minted only during World War II. The design came from Victor David Brenner, who emigrated to New York City from Lithuania. He arrived in New York City with very little except a skill in gem and seal engraving, a trade his father had taught him. Brenner proposed a design for a coin that would later be known as the Lincoln coin or Lincoln cent. It featured Abraham Lincoln on one side and two stalks of wheat on the other. U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt chose the design by Brenner and ordered it to begin production in 1909 to commemorate Lincoln’s 100th birthday.

The coin designed by Brenner turned out to be the longest-running design in United States Mint history. Many historians also believe the Brenner designed wheat penny to be the most reproduced piece of art in world history.

Most Valuable Wheat Pennies

1944 Steel Wheat Penny – $500,000

1943 Copper Wheat Penny – $100,000

1914 D Wheat Penny – $10,000

1922 D Wheat Penny – $6,000

1926 Wheat Penny – $4,000