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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.
IMPORTANT: Do You Know The Grade Of Your Penny?
To determine the true value of your 1941 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:
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
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 several wheat pennies and was wondering if any of them are worth more than face value.
1910, 1919, 1937- 1937D, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942- 1942D, 1944- 1944D, 1947D, 1950S, 1954- 1954D, 1958D.
Any info will be greatly appreciated!
Hi, Beth —
Assuming the coins are worn but not cleaned or otherwise damaged, the 1910 penny is worth about 25 cents, but the rest are all worth between 5 and 10 cents apiece.
You’ll find lots of info about which pennies are the most valuable here: https://coins.thefuntimesguide.com/valuable-pennies/
Good luck!
Josh
I also have a 1944 mercury some and a 1936 buffalo nickel. Is there anymore than face value to these?
Yes, Beth!
You’ll probably be glad to know that your 1944 Mercury dime is worth about $2 for its silver content and the 1936 Buffalo nickel is worth 50 cents to $1.
Nice finds!
Josh
I have a few pennies and was wondering if any of them were worth any money? Blue penny or dime, 1910,1939,1941s,1945D,1950,1951,1951D,1952D,1956D,1957,1960D,1961D,1963,1964,1964D,1967,1968,1968D,1969D,1969S,1970 to 1979.
Hi, Todd —
Most of the pre-1960 pennies you listed here are worth 3 to 10 cents apiece. The latter ones are worth 2 cents each for their copper value.
For some more information on valuable pennies, I suggest you check out these two articles:
Which OId Pennies Are The Most Valuable? https://coins.thefuntimesguide.com/valuable-old-pennies/
43 Pennies Worth Holding Onto: https://coins.thefuntimesguide.com/valuable-pennies/
Best wishes,
Josh
Much appreciated for the advice as am a newbie in this penny business…thank you.
Wow, you’re most welcome, Todd! Thank you for the kind remarks.
All the best,
Josh
I also have in my collection 2010,2011D,2012D and 2013D(2 of them) pennies but aren’t graded, are they worth anything? And if so, what do I have to do to sell them? Also I wanted to email picture of a blue penny, or dime or it’s just Casino chip….need your expertise and need to send the picture which is in my email file.
Hi, Todd —
Unless your 2010-2013 Lincoln cents are very high grade — say MS65 or higher — they’re worth at most a few cents apiece even in uncirculated condition. Would you please post a clear photo of the blue coin here in the comments section? I’ll be glad to assist further.
Best wishes,
Josh
there appears to be no “E” in the phrase E Pluribus Unum. Any thoughts. Can’t find anything on it.https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/967aeb6339769d0070d44cc2de5c51839f45922eedb76c2d527f2a3edaad3c39.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8e4067e8d3e4aebab5d7a57a01c8839dc1e416c5d637991d14994c51f43055ea.jpg
Hi, HazeDaze,
It’s there but VERY weak. There’s also some weakness on other points of the coin, the “P” of the “PLURIBUS,” the left wheat stalk, etc. I think the reverse (tails) die was at a very late stage here and is why parts of the reverse are so weak and poorly struck. Generally, there’s no extra value for such issues, but perhaps I’d still keep it as an example of a late-stage die strike. Overall, this coin is worth about 3 cents in this condition.
Best wishes,
Josh
I have a 1941 penny how much is it worth and who do I sell it too
Hi, Joe —
Answers on the value of your 1941 wheat penny can be found above in this article, though typical worn examples are worth 3 to 5 cents.
You might consider selling your 1941 penny to a coin dealer; here’s more info on how to find a reputable one: https://coins.thefuntimesguide.com/coin_dealer/
Best wishes,
Josh