Wheat Penny
November 17th, 2008 | 1925 Coin Penny, Coin Collecting, Rare Coins, US Coins, Wheat Penny
 |
|
US $1,599.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $1,120.00 |
Sale |

Probably one of the easiest coins to acquire for a coin collection is the wheat penny. This coin was a United States penny minted from 1909 to 1958. The coin goes by many names, including the Lincoln Wheat Cent and Wheatie, and was worth 1 cent at the time it was minted. While few are worth more than that today, some uncirculated mintings have gone for thousands of dollars at auction.
Most of us who had grandparents or parents who kept pennies in jars have been able to search through those coins and find at least one wheat penny or two. The front of the penny looks indistinguishable, at first glance at least, from the pennies minted today because they still bear the bust of Lincoln on the front (or obverse) side of the coin. The back of course is different, because the two wheat stalks that were on the reverse of the wheat penny were replaced with the Lincoln memorial in 1959.
The change in the reverse design, however, isn’t the only different between the wheat penny and the modern penny. And there are even variations among wheat pennies, depending on the year the penny was minted. Some of the wheat pennies produced in the beginning featured the initials of the sculptor, Victor David Brenner, on the reverse side of the coin below the wheat stalks.
This was a cause of controversy, however, and in 1918 the initials VDB were moved to the front of the coin. You must look very closely at a wheat penny from those early years and you’ll see the tiny initials on the bottom of Lincoln’s bust, below his shoulder. The coins produced before the change was made in California are more valuable than most other types of these pennies, because less than half a million were produced by that mint before the public complained enough about the prominent initial display to have it changed.
These early pennies are called “VDB” cents due to the placement of the initials. If you happen to find a 1909 wheat penny with those initials on the back below the wheat stalks that was minted in San Francisco, California, even if the coin is in poor condition, it could be worth hundreds of dollars. Mint coins with that configuration can go for much, much more. VDB cents minted in Philadelphia hold much less value, because more were produced. The 1914-D coins are also typically quite valuable.
A wheat penny with a minting error can also be valuable, such as the 1922 penny that looks plain because the die was full and couldn’t imprint the coin, and one produced in 1955 which appears minted twice, known as the doubled die coin.
If you can find lots of wheat pennies for very little money, you might enjoy looking for these different variations. Someone without an interest in the wheat penny who puts several up for auction in a lot might not even be aware that they’re selling a gem.
Related Posts -
Greek Coins Coins and Paper Money -> Coins - Ancient -> Greek Coins As a link to the ancient world, coins are an incredibly popular way to capture this history. Thanks to the minting process and the metals that were used, we can still enjoy many ancient coins today. Greek coins are...... - Federal Reserve Notes Coins and Paper Money -> Paper Money: US -> Large Size Notes -> Federal Reserve Notes One of the most interesting collectibles in the field of coins and paper money are federal reserve notes. However, there is quite a bit of confusion out there about what these notes really are.......
- Euro Coins Coins & Paper Money -> Coins: World -> Europe Euro coins were first put into circulation in 2002 by the European Union. There are 8 coins: 1, 2 5, 10 and 20 cent coins, as well a the 100 and 200 cent coins, which equal 1 and 2 Euros, respectively.......
-
Roman Coins Coins and Paper Money -> Coins: Ancient -> Roman: Republic When it comes to collecting coins or paper money, many prefer to go straight to roman coins. These are highly historic collectibles that may actually be worth a good deal of money and many are quite rare. When you consider...... -
Rare Coins Coins and Paper Money -> Ancient Coins -> Persian, Indian, Asian There is something very special about rare coins. No matter where in the world they came from, they usually have a very rich history and collectors will search to the ends of the earth to find that special rare......
Related Websites - Presidential dollar coin, part deux The John Adams Presidential $1 coins are out and about. And numismatic entrepreneurs are ready and willing to cash in on them. The Washington $1 coins generated a lot of interest because of their novelty and because there were some pretty high-profile errors that came out of the first design......
- Franklin Mint Collectibles Collectibles -> Decorative Collectibles -> Franklin Mint One of the most popular brands of collectibles are Franklin Mint Collectibles. This company is well known throughout the world for providing collectible editions at reasonable prices and they even offer payment plans for their more expensive items. This has allowed thousands, if......
- Long or short hair? Katie Holmes, whose change from long to short hair made women everywhere want to chop their locks and was the sound of shears heard round the world, has done it again. She's gone to instant long hair. And it is looking real good -- as good as when she cut......
Online Stores
 |
|
US $1,599.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $1,120.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $919.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $825.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $695.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $675.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $550.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $500.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $2,000.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $625.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $499.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $499.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $495.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $470.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $356.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $330.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $329.95 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $310.21 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $289.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $265.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $250.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $229.94 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $227.50 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $225.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $220.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $219.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $215.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $210.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $200.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $260.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $199.95 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $199.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $195.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $192.49 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $188.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $180.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $179.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $177.50 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $177.50 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $175.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $175.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $175.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $174.95 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $169.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $169.95 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $164.95 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $159.95 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $159.95 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $155.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $150.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $150.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $150.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $149.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $148.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $146.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $145.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $140.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $140.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $139.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $139.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $135.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $135.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $135.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $129.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $129.23 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $125.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $124.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $128.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $120.03 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $119.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $119.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $119.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $119.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $114.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $110.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $109.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $109.95 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $109.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $105.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $122.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $104.23 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $100.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $100.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $100.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $100.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $185.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $99.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $99.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $99.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $99.95 |
Sale |
If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.
Categories:
Tags:
0 comments ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment