Coming back to America, I found myself once again searching through my pocket change for wheat pennies. I’d almost forgotten about them. Anyone else feel a little thrill when finding one? I always throw them in a bowl I have for odds and ends.
I’ve not even bothered to see if any might be worth money. Are there any particular dates I should be on the lookout for?
I have literally hundreds of dollars worth of wheaties, sorted by year and mint mark, but it’s been a couple of decades since I found one in change. My biggest find was a 14-D in a parking lot. I later sold it on eBay for about $650.
Here is where you can look up prices, but you have to know how to grade the coins.
When I collected coins as a boy, years ago, my understanding was that “wheaties” generally weren’t worth much more than face value, save for a few rarities from WWII. My understanding is that this is mainly due to the fact that there were so very many of them minted, and that they were still found in general circulation, decades later, meant that they didn’t appreciate. Plus, unlike some higher-denomination coins that were made of silver, pennies had less intrinsic value, as well.
Granted, it’s decades later now, and this site suggests that most wheat pennies are now worth a couple of cents. It looks like, other than the odd cases like the WWII steel pennies (or the super-rare 1943 copper pennies), the best you’re looking at is $10 or a bit more, and that’s if you have one in essentially uncirculated condition, or a particularly old one (like the 1914 one that panache45 mentions).
Great. Thanks to you both. I do still find the odd wheatie in my change. Will look through those lists.
I had a bunch of these as a kid (probably still do) but was told they were only worth $0.02 each.
100% appreciation!
Back in my paper route days (mid 70s) there were a ton of them, along with Mercury dimes (my fave), buffalo nickels, and silver quarters. Cannot remember the last time I saw a wheatie, and the others have been gone for decades. I will admit to not taking pennies as change any more, though. I either leave em on the counter or tell the cashier to keep em.
Been a while since I found one, but my dad has hundreds that his mom collected over the years. No doubt there are a couple with something in the jar (s). Some day when I’m retired I’ll sit down with them.
Coolest thing I ever got as change was a damn near mint condition silver certificate. Happened a couple years ago at a Quik Trip.
Very few. Unless it retails for more than a couple dollars in “good” condition I wouldn’t bother with them.
https://www.jmbullion.com/coin-info/cents/lincoln-pennies/
I get more of a thrill with what I find sometimes in the “reject tray” at CoinStar machines. They reject silver coins, ones actually made of silver before 1965, and I score Mercury (its actually Lady Liberty) Dimes and Franklin Half-dollars often along with the silver “war nickles”. Always a fun treat and joy for me.
Back in the late 1950s and early 60s we helped count the collection plate after church service and put coins in the wrappers for deposit. I guess my dad was on the committee that did that. We could still find plenty of Indian head pennies. We would set them aside and swap for regular ones when we were done. I had a great collection, dunno what happened to them.
Dennis
Wheat pennies are now older than Indian heads were then. Indian Heads got replaced by the Lincoln cent in 1909, the 100th anniversary of his birth. The Lincoln Memorial back began in 1959, fifty years later. Furthermore I suspect Pennies just circulate so much any more. I’d think most people just decline them or toss them into a jar or something now. I’d be surprised if you’d see any in collection plates now.
I’ve got maybe 50 of them in my center desk drawer at work. Don’t make a point of looking for them, but keep the ones I notice.
Sure don’t like the looks of the new cents - look like game tokens or something.
IMHO most of what you find now in change is from some kid that raided parents private coin collection stash. These haven’t been in circulation over the years, but recently tossed in. I too as a lad collected coins from change, and every once in a blue moon find something like a silver dime or a wheatback, but petty sure these haven’t been floating around for 50+ years in circulation
I recently got two of them at the same time. I’m not a big coin collector or anything, but I thought it was unusual enough to toss it in the jar where I keep Susan B. Anthony and Sacajawea dollar coins.
I currently have 20,669 pennies, 9,867 of which are wheaties. I started keeping them in 1970, but cashed a lot of them in, in the mid-80s, when I was really low on cash. The only ones I actually bought were a 1909S-VDB and a 1922 with no mint mark.
Just woke up. Haven’t had coffee. I skimmed the thread title as ‘Wet Penises’. :smack:
Need caffeine. Lots, and lots of caffeine…
I’m looking at my meager collection now. Since returning to the US in August 2016, I’ve snagged four wheat pennies and a Canadian penny, all at different times and places.
I’ve had a few of them too. 
Speaking of the rare wheat pennies that are worth substantially more than face value:
An ultra-rare 1943 penny, originally found by a high school student in change he received at his school cafeteria in 1947, is now up for auction, and may go for over a million dollars.
Last year at a coin show I sold several rolls that my late Dad had saved from his till at a Mom & Pop store. Got 2 cents each coin, sight unseen.