Wheat Penny

About the Wheat Penny

"A jar full of pennies, a cardboard folder and a lazy afternoon – that's how many coin collectors got their start." The Lincoln Memorial cent, or wheat penny, is a mainstay of coin collecting. The wheat penny was produced from 1909 to 1958. The Lincoln cent was introduced in 1909 to commemorate the centennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. Lincoln thus became the first president to be depicted on circulating U.S. coinage. The obverse or heads side of the wheat penny was designed by Victor David Brenner, as was the original reverse. The wheat penny is a favorite for coin collectors young and old.

What is a Key Date Wheat Penny

"A key date coin is one of a series which is either scarce, rare, or much less common than most of the other dates in the series. When collectors are completing their collections, it is always a "key date" wheat penny which is the hardest to find. As with the 1909 S-VDB wheat penny, key date coins are often the lowest mintage of the denomination or series. There were a limited number of 1909 wheat pennies that had the initials of designer Victor D. Brenner on the reverse side. In 1918, the initials were restored on Lincoln's shoulder on the obverse. The hunt for a 1909-S VDB wheat penny has kept many collectors searching pocket change throughout the years.