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The 1909 S VDB penny is perhaps one of the most- famous rare coins. While there are rarer coins, the 1909 S VDB cent is so popular because
- It has a relatively small mintage of just 484,000.
- It belongs to one of the most popular coin series (Lincoln cents).
- Many people love the story behind the coin.
What is the story behind the 1909 S VDB penny?
Victor David Brenner designed the coin with his initials (VDB) prominently displayed on the reverse of the coin below the wheat stalks. However, the public didn’t like that the coin had Brenner’s initials so obviously stamped on the coin. The U.S. Mint responded to the public outcry and quickly stopped making VDB pennies.
The result was a much smaller number of pennies than usual. The public has known this since day 1 and, for more than a century now, the 1909 S VDB penny has been top among coin collectors’ wish lists.
I’m the Coin Editor here at TheFunTimesGuide. My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. I primarily collect and study U.S. coins produced during the 20th century. I’m a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) and have won multiple awards from the NLG for my work as a coin journalist. I’m also the editor at the Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine), and author of Images of America: The United States Mint in Philadelphia (a book that explores the colorful history of the Philadelphia Mint). I’ve contributed hundreds of articles for various coin publications including COINage, The Numismatist, Numismatic News, Coin Dealer Newsletter, Coin Values, and CoinWeek. I’ve authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins (many of them with over 50K shares), and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below!
I have many coins collected by my father-in-law…….some seem quite valuable. Where would I go to have them appraised? For a fee, of course. .
I live in Ocala, Fl.
Hello Wendy,
The best place to go to have coins appraised would be a coin shop. There are a few in Ocala. If you are selling, you might be best to go to at least 2 or 3 different dealers and sell to the dealer offering you the best price.
If the appraisal is for insurance purposes, be sure to state that to the dealer, because the amount of money you would get for selling the coins and the amount it would cost to replace them at retail value are a bit different (retail is higher than the amount you would receive from a coin dealer).
I have a Google search link here for you of the coin dealers in the Ocala area: https://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=ocala+coin+dealers&aq=f&aqi=&oq=&fp=79a46ede2c2a175d
WENDY..i DO NOT KNOW MUCH BUT i HAVE BEEN BUYING AND SELLING COINS ALWAYS WITH A GOOD PROFIT. If you want someone honest about your coin go to ha.com its a co. in dallas Tx. and they are the best in town. if you want you can go. http://www.ha.com they will help you for real..or you can come to Orlando, Fl. The first week of january 2013 They will be here the at the convention ctr..They do auctions..
Wendy, be sure to check out the Professional Numismatist Guild’s coin dealer directory to find out who is reputable. Plug in your city and state to find trustworthy and fair coin dealers near you. Here’s the link: https://www.pngdealers.com/dealersearch.php
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i have a 1955 penny. are all 1955 pennies double die or no? and if not is it worth anything?
Elrudo,
Only about 24,000 1955 pennies are doubled-die, the tens of millions of others are regular strikes. Unless you see a ghost image around the date, yours is not a doubled-die, and it’s worth around 5 cents.
I have a 1899 Indian head penny. Would it be worth more than 5 cent
Hello, Fonda —
Actually, 1899 Indian Head pennies in worn condition are usually worth between $1 and $5.
Thanks for your question!
I actually have the wheat penny above, but i cannot see the intials. Did they stop printing them and remove the initial, or the penny al together? Email: andrewbono219@gmail.com
The Mint caved in to public pressure shortly after the first coins were released, and quickly prepared new 1909 dies without Brenner’s initials. Almost 80% of 1909 Lincoln cents were struck* from those new dies so it’s probable that you have one of those.
If your coin doesn’t have a mint mark letter under the date it’s worth anywhere from $2 or $3 in very worn condition up to around $10-$12 with almost no wear. If it has a tiny “S” under the date it’s a lot scarcer, with values ranging from ~$75 to ~$280; if you have this coin you should have it inspected to make sure it’s genuine.
* To clear up terminology, coins are said to be struck or minted; the term “printing” is used for paper and ink.