Did you find a 1941 penny in your pocket change?
You’re probably curious what the current 1941 penny value is.
If you want to find out how much 1941 wheat pennies are worth, you’ve come to the right place!
In this article, you will learn:
- How many 1941 pennies were made
- What makes 1941 pennies so unique
- The difference between “large mintmark” and “small mintmark” 1941 pennies
- How much a 1941 Lincoln cent is worth today
- Whether you should keep 1941 pennies or just spend them
Interesting 1941 Penny Facts
It’s fairly easy to find 1941 wheat pennies in circulation these days. More than 1 billion 1941 cents were made. So even today — many decades after they were minted — the 1941 penny still turns up in pocket change.
However, it’s getting scarcer to find old coins like these in circulation as the years go on.
Most 1941 Lincoln cents are pretty well worn — and because so many were made, these heavily circulated pennies aren’t considered very scarce.
In other words, if you have a well-circulated 1941 penny, it’s not really worth very much money. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not valuable or worth keeping.
Let’s just say… Unless you find a 1941 penny with a significant error or other unusual characteristic, it’s not going to pay the mortgage off or take care of your child’s college tuition!
So, is there anything that makes the 1941 wheat penny special?
YES!
What Makes 1941 Pennies So Special?
There are 3 things that make 1941 wheat pennies unique:
- American history buffs will recall that 1941 pennies were made when the United States entered into World War II.
- Those who were born in 1941 might consider pennies from that year particularly special as a birth-year coin.
- Even though the Lincoln cent debuted in 1909, many Lincoln cent coin holders begin with the 1941 penny. This is due largely to the space constraints that come with most 3-panel cardboard coin folders and coin albums.
Actually, there is one more thing that makes 1941 pennies “unique”…
Hobbyists have discovered that the 1941-S Lincoln cent was struck with an “S” mintmark in 2 different sizes with the following diagnostics:
- 1941-S Large Mintmark pennies — the serifed ends of the large mintmark point toward the inside of the “S” mintmark
- 1941-S Small Mintmark pennies — the small mintmark exhibits thicker serifs that point away from the “S”
NOTE: Neither the 1941-S Large Mintmark penny nor 1941-S Small Mintmark penny is considered particularly scarce, and they are worth approximately the same as each other. That’s why the 1941-S Lincoln cent is listed as a single entry among the coin values below.
How Much Is A 1941 Penny Worth?
The 1941 penny is considered a common coin in all but the higher uncirculated grades. Therefore, most worn 1941 Lincoln wheat pennies are worth only a few cents above face value.
Here are values and mintage numbers for the different types of 1941 pennies:
| Type | Mintage | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1941 penny (no mintmark) | 887,018,000 | 5 to 10+ cents |
| 1941 Proof penny (no mintmark) | 21,100 | $40+ |
| 1941-D penny | 128,700,000 | 5 to 10+ cents |
| 1941-S penny | 92,360,000 | 5 to 10+ cents |
What Is The Grade Of Your 1941 Penny?
In order to determine the true value of your 1941 Lincoln cent, you first need to know what condition (or grade) your coin is in.
So, first 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:
Here are some coin grading apps that make grading coins yourself even easier!
More About The 1941 Penny Value
In addition to the links I’ve included above, here are some additional resources to help you learn more about your 1941 wheat 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!
