The Lincoln Wheat cent may be the single most collected coin in United States history. Introduced in 1909 for the centennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, it was the first regular U.S. coin to depict a real person, and for generations it was the starting set for young collectors assembling dates and mintmarks from pocket change.
Designed by Victor D. Brenner, the obverse shows a right-facing profile of Lincoln with IN GOD WE TRUST above, LIBERTY at left, and the date and mintmark at lower right. For the first fifty years the reverse carried two ears of wheat flanking the words ONE CENT and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, with E PLURIBUS UNUM along the top — the design that gives the series its “Wheat cent” name.
Brenner’s initials “V.D.B.” appeared prominently at the bottom of the reverse on the first 1909 coins. Public criticism led to their quick removal, but not before only 484,000 were struck at San Francisco — creating the famous 1909-S VDB, the key date of the series. The initials returned in 1918, this time very small and tucked beneath Lincoln’s shoulder on the obverse.
During World War II copper was a strategic metal, so cents were struck in zinc-coated steel in 1943, and from spent shell-case brass in 1944–1946. A handful of 1943 cents struck in copper and 1944 cents struck in steel exist as extremely rare and valuable errors.
Design types within the Wheat era:
- Type 1 — Wheat Cent, V.D.B. Reverse (1909)
- Type 2 — Wheat Cent (1909–1958)
- Type 3 — Steel Cent (1943)
- Type 4 — Shell-Case Alloy Cent (1944–1946)
Key dates and varieties to look for include the 1909-S VDB, 1914-D, the 1922 “Plain” (struck at Denver with no visible D), the 1931-S, and the 1955 Doubled Die obverse. Many early mintmarked issues are “condition rarities” — inexpensive in low grade but elusive and valuable in high grade.
In 1959 the reverse changed to the Lincoln Memorial design, which begins our Lincoln Memorial Cents (1959-2008) guide. We actively buy Lincoln Wheat cents — from rolls of common dates to key dates and high-grade examples. Send photos for a free, no-obligation offer.