1946 Wheat Penny Value: What Is It Worth in 2026?
Common date: not worth selling one by one. Keep it for your collection, or bundle it with other wheat pennies by the roll or bag.
Value by condition
| Fine (F-12) | $0.06 |
| Very Fine (VF-20) | $0.12 |
| Extremely Fine (XF-40) | $0.24 |
| About Uncirculated (AU-50) | $0.43 |
| Mint State (MS-63, uncirculated) | $2.50 |
Grades without a published guide price are not shown.
A 1946 Lincoln Wheat Cent struck at the Philadelphia (no mint mark) mint — a later common date, affordable in circulated grades.
What a 1946 wheat penny looks like
Your 1946 looks exactly like this, with "1946" where the date sits in the photo.
How to judge the condition of your coin
- 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.
1946 penny: mints compared
| Version | Mintage | Value range |
|---|---|---|
| 1946-D Wheat Penny | ~316 million struck | $0.06–$2.50 |
| 1946 Wheat Penny (this page) | ~992 million struck | $0.06–$2.50 |
| 1946-S Wheat Penny | ~198 million struck | $0.12–$2.50 |
Mintage and value can differ a lot by mint mark — compare the versions above before assuming yours is the common one.
1946 wheat penny no mint mark value
If your 1946 penny has no letter below the date, nothing is missing and nothing is wrong — it was struck at the Philadelphia Mint, which did not mark its cents. "No mint mark" and "P" are the same coin, so the price table above is exactly the one to use.
In worn condition a 1946 Philadelphia cent trades close to face value — dealers sell them by the roll. Uncirculated examples with original red luster are where the value lives: around $2.50 in MS-63. The 1946-D and 1946-S versions (with a letter under the date) are different coins — check the related links below if yours has one.
The 1946 penny: the last of the shell-casing cents
1946 was the final year of the 'shell-casing cents' — pennies struck partly from copper recycled out of spent ammunition casings, a practice that ran from 1944 through 1946. Philadelphia alone struck 991,655,000 of them, so a worn 1946 penny is one of the most common old coins in America and trades at face value to a few cents.
Like 1944 and 1945, the money is in condition: about $2.50 in MS-63, with full-red uncirculated coins bringing more. One variety is worth knowing: some 1946-S cents show an S mint mark punched over a D (listed in this site's variety pages). On the regular Philadelphia issue there is no famous error — most 'doubling' people spot on a 1946 is flat, shelf-like strike doubling, which adds no value.
Practical advice: worn 1946 cents sell best bundled by the roll or in mixed wheat penny lots. Only bright, unworn examples are worth selling individually, and grading fees are not justified below gem condition.
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.