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If you’ve got a 1923 penny, you’re probably wondering how much this old Lincoln wheat cent is worth.

- What’s the most valuable 1923 penny?
- How many 1923 Lincoln cents were made?
- What’s the rarest 1923 wheat penny?
- Who designed the 1923 Lincoln cent?
- And more!
Where Is The Mintmark On A 1923 Lincoln Cent?
A mintmark will appear on a Lincoln cent as a little letter under the date. Here’s what to look for:- If you see a “D” on a Lincoln cent, that means the coin was made at the Denver Mint. Except… the Denver Mint didn’t make any 1923 Lincoln cents. So you won’t find a 1923-D penny.
- If you see an “S” on your 1923 penny, then it was made at the San Francisco. Mint.
- If you don’t see any mintmark at all, that means your 1923 wheat penny was made at the Philadelphia Mint (which did not place mintmarks on its coins for the first time until 1942).
- Those with no mintmark, made in Philadelphia.
- Those with an “S” mintmark, made in San Francisco.
How Much Is A 1923 Penny Worth?
If you have a circulated 1923 penny (one that was used as money), the value can ranges:
- 1923 Lincoln cent with no mintmark — 75 cents to $1.50+
- 1923-S penny made in San Francisco — $3 to $5+
If you happen to have an uncirculated 1923 penny (one that was never used as money), it’s worth more:
- A typical uncirculated 1923 Lincoln cent with no mintmark and chocolate-brown surfaces is worth about $15 and up.
- An uncirculated 1923-S penny in the same condition is worth around $200… or more!
What’s The Most Valuable 1923 Penny?
Are you curious how much the most valuable 1923 wheat penny sold for? Hang on to your hat — because it probably cost more than your car! A 1923-S penny graded MS-65 Red by Professional Coin Grading Service and given a quality seal of approval by the Certified Acceptance Corporation sold in 2018 for a whopping $66,000! Talk about a pretty penny.IMPORTANT: Do You Know The Grade Of Your Penny?
To determine the true value of your 1923 penny, you first need to know what condition (or grade) your coin is in. Grab a coin magnifier and a copy of the U.S. Coin Grading Standards book. Then, watch this video to see how to grade coins yourself at home:How Much Are 1923 Wheat Penny Errors Worth?
The answer to this question depends on the specific error and the individual coin itself.Typical 1923 Error Pennies… And Their Values
Here are values for the 1923 error pennies you’re most likely to come across:- A 1923 off-center Lincoln cent — $10 to $50+
- 1923 pennies with die cracks — $3+
- The 1923 wheat penny with “BIE” error in “LIBERTY” — $15+
1923 Doubled Die Penny Error Value
There’s at least one known type of 1923 Lincoln cent with a doubled die. On the 1923 doubled die penny, Lincoln has a doubled eyelid. Here’s approximately how much a 1923 doubled die penny error is worth: Since these doubled die error coins don’t trade often, market data is scarce — but similar doubled die pennies are worth anywhere between $25 and $100… or more.1923 Penny Error With Missing Letters
OK, so as you now know… a 1923 wheat penny with no mintmark was made at the Philadelphia Mint and is totally common. But what about a 1923 penny where part of an inscription or date is missing? Here are the approximate values of 1923 Lincoln cents with missing letters:- If the penny just has excessive wear that obliterated the lettering, then that penny with missing letters isn’t worth much at all — at least less than the values listed above.
- If the penny was struck by a die with grease, or something happened with the die when it struck the coin causing it to have less pressure at the strike… that 1923 penny with missing letters is worth much more. A grease-filled error may be worth anywhere from $50 to $150, whereas a die-adjustment strike (which struck the coin with less pressure than normal) could be worth as much as $500.
Fun Facts About Old Pennies
I love sharing random knowledge about old coins.Here are a few things about Lincoln cents you may find interesting:
- The U.S. Mint struck more than 83 million pennies in 1923. The mintages for 1923 Lincoln cents break down to 74,723,000 from the Philly Mint and 8,700,000 from San Francisco.
- In all, the United States Mint has made nearly 200 billion Lincoln pennies since 1909.
- Who designed the Lincoln cent? That’s none other than Victor David Brenner, whose “VDB” initials appear on the lower reverse (“tails side”) side of the 1909 penny and under Lincoln’s shoulder on the obverse (“heads side”) of all pennies made since 1918.
More About Valuable Old U.S. Pennies
In addition to the links I’ve included above, here are some of our other articles about Lincoln cents — to help you find the value of other pennies in your collection:- List Of The Most Valuable U.S. Pennies
- 7 Penny Facts You Probably Don’t Know
- Historical Values Of Lincoln Cents
- 9 Cool Ways To Collect Pennies
- Rare Pennies vs. Scarce Pennies

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!