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Did you find a 1941 penny in your pocket change?
You’re probably curious what the current 1941 penny value is.
If you need to find out how much 1941 wheat pennies are worth, you’ve come to the right place!
Read on to find out how many 1941 Lincoln cents were made, what they’re worth today, and whether you should keep them or spend them…
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.
But, 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:
- 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.
- Many Lincoln cent coin holders often begin with the 1941 penny for reasons — due largely to the space constraints that come with most 3-panel cardboard coin folders and coin albums.
How Much Are 1941 Pennies 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.
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”
Neither the 1941-S Large Mintmark nor 1941-S Small Mintmark Lincoln wheat cent is considered particularly scarce and are worth approximately the same as each other. The 1941-S Lincoln cent is listed below among the coin values as a single entry.
Here’s a rundown on the value and mintage of the various 1941 pennies:
- 1941 Lincoln penny — 887,018,000 minted; 5 to 10+ cents
- 1941 Proof Lincoln penny — 21,100 minted; $40+
- 1941-D Lincoln penny — 128,700,000 minted; 5 to 10+ cents
- 1941-S Lincoln penny — 92,360,000 minted; 5 to 10+ cents
*Values above are for 1941 pennies in average circulated condition unless otherwise noted.
What Else Happened When Your 1941 Penny Was Made?
The beginning of the United States’ involvement in World War I was a major headline toward the end of 1941, but many other things also happened during the year. Let’s look at just a few of the major events of 1941:
- President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was well cognizant of the growing social strife in a war-torn Europe, announced 4 freedoms that people “everywhere in the world” should enjoy — including freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.
- The Japanese attacked United States soldiers stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7th — resulting in one of the nation’s bloodiest days. The Pearl Harbor attack triggered the United States to officially enter World War II.
- Germany attacked Russia and the Balkans, further dominating the European continent in the earlier days of World War II.
- Scientists isolated plutonium — which helps power uranium for use in nuclear reactors.
- Orson Welles starred in Citizen Kane, which became one of the top movies of the year.
- Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” was one of the most popular songs of 1941.
- The average salary in 1941 was $2,050, a new house cost $6,900, a new car sold for $925, milk was 34 cents per gallon, a loaf of bread cost 8 cents, and a first-class postage stamp was a whopping 3 cents.
More About Today’s 1941 Penny Value
In addition to the links I’ve included above, here are some other resources to help you learn more about your 1941 pennies:
- My 1941 Penny: The Coin That Hooked Me Into Collecting Coins
- Old Lincoln Cents You Can Still Find In Pocket Change
- Old Copper Pennies: Which Ones To Save & What They’re Worth
- Which Old Pennies Are The Most Valuable?
- 43 Most Valuable Pennies Worth Holding Onto
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 CDN Publishing (a trusted source for the price of U.S. rare coins), 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 also authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins — and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below!
