1909 VDB Wheat Penny Value: What Is It Worth in 2026?

⚠ Key date / rare varietyMintage: ~28.0 million struck

Estimated value · Source: USACoinBook price guide (updated Feb 2026)

1909 Wheat Penny · VDB

Mint: Philadelphia (no mint mark)

Worth selling

Worth selling individually: list it on eBay or offer it to a local coin dealer. Grading fees would eat the profit, so sell it as-is.

Value by condition

Good (G-4, heavily worn)	$7.29
Very Good (VG-8)	$8.64
Fine (F-12)	$12
Very Fine (VF-20)	$15
Extremely Fine (XF-40)	$19
About Uncirculated (AU-50)	$22
Mint State (MS-63, uncirculated)	$38

The first-year Lincoln cent carries designer Victor David Brenner's initials VDB on the reverse, below the wheat stalks. The initials were removed the same year after public controversy, making any 1909 VDB an instant classic.

Price source: USACoinBook entry for this coin ↗

What a 1909 wheat penny looks like

Wheat cent obverse and reverse: Lincoln portrait with date and mint mark below it; wheat stalks framing ONE CENT on the back — Reference photo (a 1909-S VDB — the design is unchanged through 1958). The **date** is on the front, right of Lincoln's portrait; the **mint mark** sits directly below the date (no letter = Philadelphia). The **wheat stalks** on the back are what gives this design its name. Photo: U.S. Mint, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The base design is the same as the photo — the VDB variety is described in the sections below.

How to judge the condition of your coin

A well-worn wheat penny reverse: wheat stalk lines mostly smooth, lettering still readable

Look at the wheat stalks first. On a worn coin (like the photo — about "Good" grade), the stalk lines are mostly smooth. If every line and grain in the stalks is sharp, you are looking at Extremely Fine or better.
Then check Lincoln's cheek and jaw. These are the highest points on the front. Wear shows there before anywhere else; a flat cheek means a lower grade.
When in doubt, grade down. Sellers systematically overgrade; use the lower row of the price table and you will not be disappointed.

Worn-coin photo: Mark Morgan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

1909 penny: mints compared

Version	Mintage	Value range
1909 Wheat Penny	~72.7 million struck	$3.62–$30
1909-S Wheat Penny	~1.8 million struck	$103–$498

Mintage and value can differ a lot by mint mark — compare the versions above before assuming yours is the common one.

How to confirm it's genuine

The mint mark sits directly below the date — no letter means Philadelphia (P). A magnifier with light at a 45° angle works best.
Never clean the coin: cleaning destroys the original surface and can cut the value in half.
For any coin worth more than $200, PCGS/NGC grading fees (~$20–50) are money well spent.

Where to sell this coin

eBay works best in the $1.00–$200 range. Take clear photos of both sides in natural light, and put the year, mint mark, and approximate grade in the title.
A local coin dealer is the fastest way to cash out, but expect 60–70% of guide prices. Best for selling common dates in bulk.
Graded high-value coins do best at auction houses like Heritage Auctions or Stack's Bowers, where realized prices are public.