1909 Penny Value – The wheat penny was minted from 1909 until 1959 when it was superseded by the Lincoln Memorial penny to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the wheat penny. Victor David Brenner, a Lithuanian medalist, created the coin’s simple obverse face design, which has remained essentially unaltered in successive versions of the Lincoln cent.
The word “Liberty” on his left and the year of mintage on his right appears on the obverse, which features an iconic profile bust portrait of Abraham Lincoln. The denomination “ONE CENT” is large and top-center, with the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST.” On the reverse, it says, “ONE CENT.” Two wheat stalks surround them. The motto “E PLURIBUS UNUM” can be found at the top rim.
You may ask” Why is the 1909 penny rare, Where is the mint mark on a 1909 Wheat Penny? So here we will explain everything to you.
History Of The 1909 Wheat Penny
Abraham Lincoln’s birth was commemorated in 1909. In order to honor Abraham Lincoln, who was a close friend of his, President Theodore Roosevelt commissioned the minting of a cent coin featuring his image.
A true person had never appeared on U.S. television before. Prior to the wheat penny, only animals and fictitious characters like the Native American on the Buffalo nickel and Liberty on the Morgan silver dollar had been depicted on U.S. currency (other than from the commemorative Columbian half dollar). Coins are used to pay for things.
Victor David Brenner included his initials near the bottom of the wheat in the initial reverse design. Many people thought the initials were too prominent a design element and preferred to eliminate them. New designs with no initials had already been minted by August 1909. The following section will elaborate on these differences.
Only Philadelphia and San Francisco produced the 1909 wheat penny. There were 100,697,618 wheat pennies minted in Philadelphia. Just 2,309,000 dollars were minted in San Francisco.
Wheat pennies have a composition of 95% copper and 5% tin, and zinc, which is typical for pennies. The 1909 cent’s mass of 3.11g and 19mm diameter are also typical features of wheat pennies.
1909 Wheat Penny Value
Because of the low numbers produced at the United States Mints in Philadelphia and San Francisco that year, the 1909 penny is considered uncommon. This is due to the fact that the Indian Head coin of 14,679,645 pieces was being replaced by a new US one-cent coin.
The more valuable they become as the number of coins minted in a year decreases. Wheaties were not produced in Denver until 1911, hence you will not find a 1909 D penny.
The 1909 S VDB, which has a value of 484,000 because it is one of the lowest-numbered Lincoln wheat cents, is a real collector’s item.
In reality, in 2014, a 1909 S VDB sold for $117,500 at a record auction. PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Services) gave it the designation MS67RD.
A 1909 S VDB can sell for as much as $800 even if it is worn.
V.D.B. stands for “Victim Decontamination” Victor David Brenner’s initials appear on the reverse of certain 1909 pennies. The designer’s initials were quickly removed from later minted wheat pennies of that year after a few weeks of minting since the general public did not approve of them appearing on the new Lincoln wheat cents.
How Much Is A 1909 Wheat Penny Worth?
Depending on the type, there are six different 1909 wheat penny values that each sell for between $3.70 (G4) and $117,500 (MS67RD).
A Doubled Die Obverse, S/S or S over horizontal S mistake, is seen on certain 1909 wheat pennies, adding to their worth and making them rare.
-1909 Penny No Mint Mark Value
In good condition, a 1909 wheat penny with no mint mark is worth around $3. The worth is roughly $6 in excellent condition. The value is approximately $8 in ideal conditions.
Coins with an MS 60 grade sell for roughly $17 in uncirculated conditions. Uncirculated coins grading MS 63 may sell for about $25.
-1909 S Penny Value
In good condition, a 1909 S wheat penny is worth about $85. The value is around $145 in excellent condition. The worth is about $160 in excellent shape.
Coins with an MS 60 grade cost about $350 in uncirculated conditions. Uncirculated coins grading MS 63 may sell for as much as $400.
-1909 Proof Penny Value
There are a few proof coins without a mint mark available, each worth about $750 in MS 63 condition. The minting of 2,618 proof coins took place.
In 1909, the Philadelphia mint produced 27,995,000 VDB pieces and 72,702,618 coins without the designer’s initials. It produced 100,697,618 wheat pennies.
1909 Wheat Penny Error
The 1909 Wheat penny was affected by three common errors. A Doubled Die Obverse mistake, which is typical when an extra, misaligned picture was stamped on to the die by the hub, struck coins produced in Philadelphia.
The date has an outline around it, as shown in the picture above. With the naked eye, it’s sometimes easy to recognize the Doubled Die Obverse mistake, but a coin microscope may be required to confirm it.
In 2009, a record auction price of $23,000 was paid for a 1909 VDB MS67+RD with a Doubled Die Obverse error, indicating that these error coins can be quite valuable.
The ‘ S over S ‘ and ‘ S over horizontal S ‘ are the other two primary blunders that affect the 1909 wheat penny. When a second mint mark is punched over the top of an existing mint mark, these two mint mark errors are known as over-mint mark errors. They may also influence the date, and they may appear as a D over S in two distinct US mints, such as Denver and San Francisco.
A 1909 S MS67RD with an S over horizontal S minting mistake sold for $24,000 at a record auction price in 2018.
Looking for More Information About Coins? Check Other Years From This Lincoln ( Wheat ) Penny Series:
1909 1910 19111912
1913 1914 1915 1916
1917 1918 1919 1920
1921 1922 1923 1924
1925 1926 1927 1928
1929 1930 1931 1932
1933 1934 1935 1936
1937 1938 1939 1940
1941 1942 1943 1944
1945 1946 1947 1948
1949 1950 19511952
1953 1954 1955 1956
1957 1958
Do you have a collection of Lincoln cents? Maybe you acquired a 1909 penny. 1909 pennies are extremely coveted by coin collectors because they’re the first Lincoln cents produced by the United States Mint. Curious about how much they’re worth?
What are the most valuable 1909 pennies? How many were manufactured? Which ones are uncommon/rare? as well as some additional fascinating facts about 1909 pennies if you believe you may have any of the coveted, unusual 1909 pennies?
In 1909, the penny was incredibly significant. Just 8,000 automobiles were on the road in 1909, and only 144 miles of paved roads. This is a fun fact! 1909 penny Fun Fact: Back then, pennies had significantly more buying power than they do now.
Related:
1910 Penny Value
1911 Penny Value
1958 Penny Value
1920 Penny Value