Lincoln Wheat Cents 1909-1958
Coin Series
About This Series
Victor David Brenner's portrait of Abraham Lincoln made history in 1909 as the first real person depicted on a regular-issue United States coin, breaking with the longstanding tradition of allegorical Liberty figures. The reverse wheat ear design — two stalks of durum wheat flanking ONE CENT and E PLURIBUS UNUM — earned these coins the enduring nickname "wheaties" among generations of collectors. The 1909-S VDB is the series' most famous rarity: Brenner's prominent initials on the reverse were removed after public complaint, and only 484,000 had been struck at San Francisco before the change, creating a key date that has introduced countless newcomers to numismatics. The 1914-D (1,193,000 struck), 1922 No D (a die deterioration variety from Denver), and 1931-S (866,000 struck) join the 1909-S VDB as the series' principal rarities. Wartime material changes produced the iconic 1943 steel cents (zinc-coated steel replacing bronze to conserve copper) and 1944 brass shell case cents (recycled ammunition cartridge brass). Struck in bronze (1909-1942, 1944-1958) at 19mm and 3.11 grams, nearly 30 billion Wheat cents were produced across half a century. The series spans two world wars, the Great Depression, and the emergence of modern America, making it one of the most historically resonant and universally collected denominations in American numismatics.
Series Information
Browse by Base(50 bases)
1909 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1910 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1911 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1912 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1913 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1914 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1915 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1916 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1917 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1918 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1919 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1920 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1921 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1922 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1923 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1924 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1925 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1926 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1927 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1928 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1929 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1930 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1931 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1932 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1933 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1934 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1935 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1936 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1937 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1938 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1939 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1940 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1941 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1942 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1943 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1944 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1945 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1946 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1947 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1948 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1949 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1950 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1951 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1952 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1953 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1954 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1955 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1956 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1957 Lincoln Wheat Cent
1958 Lincoln Wheat Cent
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