Wheat pennies are the US pennies that were made from 1909 to 1958. The name comes from the two ears of wheat that are on the back. Some of them can be worth a lot of money, even though they don’t seem valuable at first glance.
Among these are error coins, which were made because the Mint made a mistake. It’s a given that error coins are rare. That means some fans are ready to spend a lot of money to get them.
Most Valuable Wheat Penny Errors Coin
1. 1943 Double Die Obverse Wheat Penny
Double die coins come from a die-making error. To capture every design element, dies are struck multiple times. If the dice moves between strikes, a double image is left.
The die transfers that double image on coins. An “double die obverse” error occurs when the double image is on the obverse die. DDO appears in coin catalogs. Double die reverses (DDRs) have double images on the reverse.
The Philadelphia mint struck the obverse design with a double-image die in 1943. This doubling is called distended hub doubling. Among Lincoln cents, the double image was the strongest double die mistake.
The doubling is especially noticeable on the letters of “Liberty” and the lower sections of the date’s 9 and 3.
Coin value depends on condition. Low-grade circulated examples are worth $30. That rises to $100 for an AU55 “about uncirculated” coin. Uncirculated MS65 examples bring roughly $1,500.
2. 1943 (D) Repunched Mintmark
D-stamp coins were made at the Denver mint. Some 1943 Wheat coins were erroneously punched with their mintmark multiple times. Coin catalogs call this defect a “repunched mintmark” (RPM).
The first mintmark is below and left of the stronger one. F12 (fine) samples go for $75, while uncirculated ones for $200. As usual, uncirculated coins are most valued. The best mint state coins cost $1,000–$15,000.
3. 1944 D/S
There are times when coins have mintmarks from more than one place. Yes, some of the 1944 Wheat pennies were made that way. There is a S mintmark for San Francisco on top of a D mintmark for Denver on these.
Even though they were made in Denver, a die with the mintmark S was used by accident. The S on the coins that were made because of this mistake was buffed out and a new D mintmark was punched in its place. You can still see the ghost of the first mark if you look very closely.
Fine examples that have been used before are worth about $75, while coins that are rated as “about uncirculated” are worth as much as $260.
If you want a coin that is brand new, though, you’ll have to pay a lot of money. The best ones are worth between $4,000 and $20,000 each.
4. 1936 Double Die Obverse
A lot of the 1936 Wheat pennies made in Philadelphia have a mistake on the front that is caused by two dies. The phrase “In God We Trust” and the word “Liberty” stand out the most because they are doubled. Also, every number on the date is easy to read.
Even copies that haven’t been read very often can fetch around $100. From there, though, costs rise more slowly.
About AU55 models that have never been used can be found for around $200. A beautiful MS65 copy costs around $600. And the most valuable ones are thought to be worth around $5,000.
Also See:-Rare 2008 Dime Errors Worth Money (Full List)
5. 1909 S Over Horizontal S
1909 is a very important year for Wheat pennies, and good ones can fetch a lot of money, even if they don’t have any flaws.
But some coins made in San Francisco have an interesting mistake: a second S mintmark has been punched over the first one. At a right angle to the second mintmark, the first one was placed horizontally.
Without a loupe or lens, this mistake is hard to see. With a close look, you can see that the edge of the first S sticks out from the curve on the right side of the second. Used coins are worth about $100, and coins that have never been used are worth about $250.
The value of mint state coins varies a lot based on their color and condition. Another group that grades coins, the PCGS, says that a brown MS60 penny is worth $330.
One of the nicest known examples is a red penny rated MS67. These were only made five times, and the last time one was sold at sale was in July 2022. It’s crazy that that coin sold for $32,900.
6. 1917 Double Die Obverse
Another coin with a double die obverse mistake is the Wheat pennies that were made in Philadelphia in 1917.
The doubling is most clear in the words “In God We Trust” and the date, especially the ninth and second one.
In traded grades, examples sell for around $200. The worth is about $1,500 if it is almost brand new. A brown coin rated MS60 starts at $3,750 and is considered to be in perfect condition.
The best known example, though, is a single red penny that the PCGS rates MS67+. That was last auctioned off in 2019 and brought $120,000. The PCGS thinks it’s worth $135,000 today.
7. 1922 No D
Another example of a mintmark mistake can be found on the 1922 Wheat penny. It happened in some of the coins that were made at the Denver mint.
You might think that the coin was made in Philadelphia since it doesn’t have a mintmark. But that year, no Wheat pennies were made in Philadelphia.
The lack of a D was caused by cleaning a Denver die too much, which took off the mintmark. There is a very faint D on some coins. This coin is worth more than a regular 1922(D) penny, but not as much as a coin with no mintmark.
There are a lot of fakes on the market because this mistake commands a higher price. Someone who isn’t honest could easily rub out the D from a normal 1922 penny.
One thing to check is how strong the hit is on the front. Most real No. D pennies from 1922 are struck very lightly. It’s possibly a fake if your coin has good detail on other parts of it, especially where it says “In God We Trust.”
But if you can find the real thing, you might win big. Pennies from 1922 that don’t have the D on them start at about $500, even if they are in bad shape.
How much about uncirculated and mint state coins are worth depends on how strongly or poorly struck the back is. Even though they are less valuable, coins with a weakly struck back will still sell for a lot of money. Color is also important.
The PCGS says that an AU55 brown coin with a strong face is worth $6,350, an MS60 coin is worth $14,000, and an MS65 coin is worth $90,000.
One red-and-brown coin with a strong reverse is thought to be the best one ever found and has been rated MS65+. That is worth $150,000. A red coin with a strong reverse grade of MS64 is worth a huge $275,000 according to the PCGS.
8. 1955 Double Die Obverse
1957 was another year when some Wheat pennies had a mistake with two dies. In this case, Philadelphia is where they were made.
In this case, the doubling stands out all over the pattern. Look for it in the date, the word “Liberty,” and the phrase “In God We Trust.” It’s so clear that you can see it with your own eyes.
Even if they are in bad shape, coins with this mistake are still worth a lot. Examples that have been passed around start at $1,200. The PCGS says that a brown coin that is about uncirculated (AU55) is worth $2,650.
A brown coin in mint condition is worth at least $2,850. At MS60, red and brown coins are worth $3,250, which is more than white coins. A red coin of the same grade is worth a little more, $3,350.
You will need a lot of money to get the best models. The PCGS grades MS65+ the best red pennies with this mistake that they have seen. These only exist in two pieces, and each one is worth $288,000 today.
9. 1958 Double Die Obverse
When it comes to error coins, the 1958 double die reverse is one of the rarest. In that year, more than 252 million Wheat pennies were made in Philadelphia. And only three of those coins have been found with the number two written on the front.
This repeat is very clear and crisp. It can be seen in the handwriting of “In God We Trust” and the word “Liberty.” Two of those coins got an MS64 grade from the PCGS. These things are now worth $340,000 each.
The most valuable coin, though, is a single MS65 penny. What’s the point of that? Based on the PCGS, it’s an amazing $1.14 million.
10. 1943 Bronze Cent
The planchet that this mistake coin was struck on is what makes it so unique. Most cents made in 1943 were struck on steel planchets. That’s because the copper and nickel that had been used before were needed to make weapons for the Second World War.
But near the end of 1942, some of the metal planchets that were used to make pennies that year got stuck in the trap doors of the bins that were used to feed blanks into the coin presses.
No one saw them when the steel planchets were put back in the bins for the next year. In the end, they were struck and put out into circulation with the millions of other metal pennies.
Strangely, the mistake happened at all three mints that year that were making pennies. Philadelphia is known to have made between ten and fifteen of these coins, San Francisco about six, and Denver only one.
As always, the value of this error coin depends on its color and state. A brown code rated extremely fine XF45 is the lowest graded item that the PCGS has ever looked at. That is worth $215,000.
It is known that there is only one red example, and that one is rated MS63. The PCGS says it’s worth a cool $1 million.
11. 1943 Experimental Shell Case Cent
In 1943, some other cents were made out of metal, but they were made of slightly different materials. These were not mistakes, but rather tests. They’re still really cool coins, though!
These are not the rare 1943 bronze mistake pennies. Experts can tell the difference by looking at the color of the metal and the way the strike is made. Some of the test coins may have weak strikes because the new alloy doesn’t take the pattern as well.
Some of these coins are meant to be in museums. These coins were made with 91.7% copper, 7.5% zinc, and 0.8% silver. One of them is in the Edward C. Rochette Money Museum in Colorado Springs.
These coins are very valuable if you find one. The exact value will depend on how good the coin is, but a safe guess would be around $150,000.
