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What Is A 1922 Wheat Back Penny Worth?

a-coin-question.jpgMary writes:

I have 1992 pennie it has a leave with a 3 inside the leave. I was wondering if it is worth anything?”

Answer below…

 

Very few wheaties (wheat back pennies) have much value, however a variety of the 1922 happens to be one that does.

Here’s how to determine if your 1922 penny is worth 4 cents or 400 dollars.

That year the mint used 3 die pairs for the mint mark that had been totally worn out. As a result the 1st and 3rd dies produced what is called “weak D’s” because the D mint mark on them was very weak and hard to see. A 1922 weak D penny is worth about $35 -$50 depending on the grade of the coin.

Now… die no. 2 was so worn out it produced 1922 pennies with no D at all. Collectors call this a “1922 plain” and it is worth quite a bit more, anywhere from $300 – $1,000 again depending on the grade of the coin. The regular 1922 D is worth about $10 and you should be able to see the D clearly and without a magnifying tool.

So to sum this up… 1922 D $10.00 / 1922 “weak D” $35.00 – $50.00 / 1922 “plain D” $300.00 – $1,000.

The “weak D” varieties you will usually need a magnifier to see. You might see or feel a small bump where the mint mark should be (right under the date).

Hope this post helps some of you.

 

Updated Value: 2/15/2010

The value of the popular 1922 plain cent keeps rising!

According to the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), a 1922 Lincoln penny without the D mintmark is now worth about $725 in the grade of good and over $12,000 if uncirculated.

Talk about a pretty penny…

  • Badgertagger

    I recently bought a 3 1/4 lb lot of “unsearched” wheat pennies on EBAY. Much to my surprise it was TRUELY unsearched! In the lot was a 1909 S VDB(VF), 1909 S(F),3 1909 VDB’s, 1931 S(XF), 1924 D(XF), 1911 S(F), 1910 S(F), 1912 S(F), 1913 S(VG), 1922 D(XF), 1922 weak D and what i’m almost cetain is a 1922 no D!!! I paid $21.00 for the lot + shipping! How bout that for a great(lucky) deal!! My question is what is this worth? I just started collecting 6 months ago.

    • Anonymous

      Wow! What an incredible find. The coins you mention, if all authentic, undamaged, and graded accurately, the lot you have is worth at least $2,000 — if the 1922 cent you think might be a no-D is indeed a 1922 plain cent. If you have all the coins EXCEPT the 1922 plain penny, your set is still worth at least $1,300 or so. Congrats!

  • Anonymous

    I have a 1943 steel penny with a very weak S mint mark. It looks like a blob under weak magnification, but viewed with a microscope it is clearly an S. Is this variety of the 1943-S noteworthy?

    • Anonymous

      Steve,

      It might be the S is blob-like because of machine doubling. This doesn’t usually hold much, if any, of a premium over normal values.

  • Ty bearnson

    I ALSO HAVE A 1927 NO MARK WHEAT BACK PENNY CAN YOU TELL ME HOW TO CHECK  TO SEE IF ITS FAKE OR REAL THANK YOU

  • Rickfuentes36

    I have a 1924 penny that I can pick up with a magnet I did a search and was told there were only a few made what is it worth or how rare is it

  • i found a 1922 penny and you cdan bearly feel the d mint

    • JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide

      Hi, Joretta –

      There are a few varieties of the 1922 Lincoln cent; if you can post a pic, it can help us determine with a little more certainty what its value may be. Thanks!

  • I have a 1922 wheat penny plain with no D. Condition is poor, see pics below. I had an offer for $450 but cannot believe its worth more than 1 cent. Any Idea what this penny is really worth?

    • JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide

      Richard –

      From every indication I can see in your photos, your coin is indeed worth at least a couple hundred dollars if not more, since your coin appears to be a 1922 plain cent. I can tell this because the second “2” in the date is stronger than the first, the lettering on the obverse is fairly weak, and the reverse is very strong.

      Here’s some more info on the 1922 plain cent: http://coins.thefuntimesguide.com/2009/12/1922_cent.php

  • Robin g currence

    what is the value of a 1927 wheat penny no mint mark

    • JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide

      Hi, Robin –

      A 1927 Lincoln cent in typical, well-worn condition is worth about 10 cents.

  • Victor

    Hi. Im hoping you can give me information about my 1922 penny. Is this considered a faded or weak D or is it a 1922 plain? Please let me know the value of each.

    • JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide

      Victor,

      I would classify that as a 1922 weak D penny, given the strength of the first “2” in the date and the degree of fade in the mintmark. Such pieces are worth around $15 to $20.

  • will culbertson

    Hi. Im hoping you can help with this penny. It is Very warn and thats the best image i could get of the Date. Im unable to tell if its a plain or a D. Thank you.

    • JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide

      Hello Guest,

      In my numismatic opinion, I’d call this a 1922-D “Weak D,” though since I can’t see the reverse at this time I can’t make a full attribution. A piece like this may be worth around $25, which I suggest is a AG-G.

      Thanks for the excellent photo!

  • Guest

    HI. This coin is very warn but i can see the date as 1922. Im unable to tell if it is a plain or D though. Thank you for the Help. Will.

  • Cesar Jr

    Hi Joshua i have some old penny’s i wish i could show you is their a way that you could probably take a look at

    • JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide

      Hi, Cesar —

      Looking at the coins you have photographed here, as well as their conditions, I would say they are worth between 7 cents and 40 cents each.

      Best,
      Josh

  • Cesar Jr

    I actually have alot more broken down by years but i want to see if you wouldn’t mind if i send you a batch of them

    • JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide

      Hello, Cesar —

      While I don’t appraise coins that are sent to me, I recommend you read this article; it should help you in learning what your wheat cents are worth, and which are the most valuable:

      43 Most Valuable Pennies: http://coins.thefuntimesguide.com/2014/07/valuable-pennies.php

      Best,
      Josh

  • Gambino-baby Lisa

    What could this go for? Not sure about mint mark.

    • JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide

      Hello, Lisa —

      I believe this is a 1922 no-D Die Pair #1, based on the diagnostics I am looking at in the photo. I think given the condition of the coin, which is substantially porous, the value of the coin would be $85 to $125.

      There is a major caveat here — I would recommend this coin be examined in-hand under 5x magnification. Though several aspects of the design point to Die Pair #1 variety, perhaps better lighting and tilting of the coin in multiple directions under magnification would reveal it to be the more valuable Die Pair #2. There is also the chance that a moderate trace of the “D” mintmark might pop up among the porosity of the surface by the date, though I am happy to say that I don’t see evidence of that among these photos.

      Either way, assuming this coin is authentic, it appears to be worth a “pretty penny” indeed.

      Nice piece,
      Josh

  • Melinda Wilson

    How do I know if I have a 1922 plain and not just a p.?

    • JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide

      Hi, Melinda –

      There were no Philadelphia-minted Lincoln cents made in 1922, so if you have a 1922 penny with no visible signs of a mintmark, it’s a plain cent.

      I hope this helps!
      Josh

  • Peter Kemp

    Hello found this amongst my change years ago and never really looked at it till now ….wondering if this is die pair #2

    • JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide

      Hi, Peter —

      My goodness, this looks to be 1922 Die Pair #2 based on what I see in the photos and all diagnostics (mushy obverse lettering, weak first “2,” strong second “2” in date, weak overall obverse and strong reverse, etc.). If this checks out as authentic, it would be easily worth $350-$500 — this coin appears to have great, original surfaces, too.

      Here’s more info on third-party coin grading companies if you want to get the coin authenticated: https://coins.thefuntimesguide.com/2009/01/slabbed_coins.php

      I cautiously say this is an amazing find… I just suggest it get authenticated in-hand first and ensure the variety is verified.

      Congrats,
      Josh

      • Peter Kemp

        blockquote, div.yahoo_quoted { margin-left: 0 !important; border-left:1px #715FFA solid !important; padding-left:1ex !important; background-color:white !important; } Hello thanks for taking a look.. In your personnel opinion where wouldU send it to get graded. I’m in Ontario Canada and have never used these services before..would like a trustworthy business…any input would be greatly appreciated thanks Josh

        Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

  • Connor Kennedy

    I found a no D penny at a walgreens probably about 5 years ago and I would like to first thank you for writing this article, since I just discovered that my cent is worth about 500 dollars probably, because i am a big coin collector of coins from everywhere, and the only reason i kept it was because i wanted to have a wheat penny, but thank god I did because if not than i would have lost at least 499 in the deal. I do have a question for you though. The way I found it is it is really dark, almost black, and I was wondering if there was a trick to restoring it that wouldn’t hurt the coin. I use the vinegar and toothbrush trick on some of my other coins, and it does work, but I am uncertain about using it on that penny. If you know a better way to restore it, I’m open to suggestions. Also, should I take it to someone to get it authenticitated, and if so, can you tell me who. Thanks.
    One more thing, I have a 1943v wheat penny, is that worth anything?

    • JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide

      Hi, Connor!

      Congratulations on the find! I’d love to see a photo of your coin if you don’t mind posting one.

      As for restoring the coin, there is no numismatic reason for doing so based on the description you provided. Anything you do to the coin in that state will simply lower its value. From the numismatic and value standpoint, a dark brown or black Lincoln cent is preferable to one that has been cleaned. Nothing you can do will restore the coin to a lighter brown color without giving the coin an artificial color.

      I don’t think that is the answer you were looking for, but I certainly advise you to leave the coin with its patina as is — if for nothing else than the sake of its value.

      As for the 1943 steel cent, I’d be curious what the “V” is. It’s not a mintmark. It sounds like a form of post-mint damage, but I’ll be happy to check out a photo of that coin and help explain what’s going on.

      Again, congrats on the 1922 cent find!

      Best,
      Josh

      • Connor Kennedy

        Hi josh,
        Thank you for telling me about the consequences of trying to restore the penny, because I might have tried if u hadn’t said something. Enclosed below is the picture. Sorry I made two mistakes in the comment, first it is a 1942 penny, and the v was just a typo, but the 1922 penny I have. Thanks,
        Connor

        • JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide

          Hello, Connor!

          I’m glad I could help! I still find it amazing that you found a 1922 Lincoln cent in pocket change. Great work!

          Your 1942 Lincoln cent is worth about 5 cents, assuming it has an average amount of wear for its age.

          Best,
          Josh

  • Ronald Fredette

    i have a 1984 penny I think made from aluminum anybody know anything about it

    • JoshuaTheFunTimesGuide

      Hi, Ronald —

      It sounds like the copper plating of your 1984 cent was removed to expose the coin’s zinc core. This is actually a fairly common science experiment, such as seen in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRiBYMv6Tz4

      I hope this info is helpful,
      Josh