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Wheat cent key dates cheat sheet (no prices)

A plain sorting list of early Lincoln / wheat cent dates and mint marks people should set aside — not a price guide. Always check the mint mark under the date.

Lincoln cent: mint mark under the date on the obverse

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Use this page to sort a jar, not to name your retirement. Most wheat cents are common. A short list of date + mint combinations deserves a second look. Everything else is usually bulk — see cents: old is not automatically valuable.

This is a sorting aid, not a price list. We do not publish dollar values here. Keys still need correct identification, original surfaces, and a live market bid. Condition can make a “common” date interesting and a “key” date disappointing.

Mint mark sits under the date on the front of Lincoln cents
Mint mark sits under the date on the front of Lincoln cents

Always check under the date first

Full diagram set: where is the mint mark?. No letter under the date usually means Philadelphia. D = Denver. S = San Francisco.

Classic early Lincoln / wheat keys & semi-keys to pull

Set these aside if the date and mint match. Condition still decides whether they are “nice” or “rough but identifiable.”

  • 1909-S VDB — famous key; VDB initials on reverse, San Francisco mint mark under date
  • 1909-S — San Francisco without needing VDB drama; still a pull
  • 1909 VDB (Philadelphia) — popular type; not the same animal as 1909-S VDB. Still worth verifying because people misread S marks
  • 1914-D — Denver key; confirm the D carefully
  • 1922 “Plain” (no D) — special case from Denver dies; needs careful attribution (not every weak-D is a plain)
  • 1924-D — semi-key territory; pull and compare
  • 1926-S — tougher S-mint; pull
  • 1931-S — low-mintage S; always pull

Also pull (problems or special stories)

  • 1943 copper (if you truly have copper color that is not plated steel) — famous error class; most “copper 1943s” are wrong. Steel 1943 is common history: steel cents
  • Any cent with a clear, dramatic doubled die that matches a known variety reference — not random shelf doubling
  • Off-metal or wrong-planchet suspects — leave them alone and show a pro

Usually bulk (even if “old”)

  • Most 1940s–1950s Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco wheats in worn grades
  • Steel 1943 cents in ordinary condition
  • Memorial reverse cents (1959+) in circulation

Sorting workflow for a coffee can

  • Dump onto a towel; work under good light
  • Pull every 1909, 1914, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1931 first — then check mint marks
  • Bag readable common wheats together for a bulk bid
  • Do not clean, polish, or vinegar-soak anything you pulled as a key
  • Get a counter look for the pull tray: CDXList

If an app prices every wheat at “up to” collector dream numbers, read why apps and Google lie. Rarity rules: old is not rare.

Common false alarms

  • “S” dirt that is not an S mint mark
  • 1909 without VDB and without S — common type coin for many grades
  • Any Memorial cent “error” that is really plating damage on zinc
  • Steel 1943 cents sold as copper after artificial toning or copper plating

When in doubt, set the piece aside and ask a dealer to look with you under a loupe. That five-minute conversation is worth more than an hour of conflicting videos.

Tools in this set

Age vs rarity series

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