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1909-S VDB Lincoln wheat penny value guide -- mintage, key facts, and current price estimates for the series' most famous key date.
Condition drives the price — full breakdown below.
Note: a full grade-by-grade breakdown for this coin is still being compiled.
484,000 struck — against the other key dates in the Lincoln Wheat Penny series.
Bars are scaled to keep the smallest mintages visible; the exact figure is printed on every row. Mintage is coins struck, not coins surviving — melting and circulation wear thin those numbers further.
The most famous key date in the series -- designer Victor D. Brenner's initials (V.D.B.) appear on the reverse rim, a detail unique to early 1909 strikes.
Only 484,000 were struck at the San Francisco mint before the initials were removed mid-year, making it the lowest-mintage regular-issue date in the set.
Live listings matching the 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Penny
Other dates and varieties in this series
What to check before you pay, specific to this date and its 484,000-coin mintage.
The same date runs from about $929 worn to $2,498 at the top of the scale — a 3× spread. Nearly all of that gap is condition, not the date on the coin, so work out where an example sits on the table above before deciding whether its asking price is fair.
Every figure on this page depends on that S. The same year from another mint is a far more common coin, which is exactly why added and altered mint marks are the usual way this date gets faked. Ask for a close-up of the mark itself — a listing title claiming it is not evidence.
A PCGS or NGC holder settles authenticity and grade in one go, which is most of what you're actually paying for at this level. The premium it adds is small next to the cost of being wrong about either.
Every Lincoln Wheat Penny listed here is priced by an individual seller, so the same coin in the same grade can differ by a wide margin on any given day. Sort by price, check Metal Points and order history for a sense of the seller's record, and message them if the photos don't show enough to grade confidently.
About the 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Penny
A typical circulated example brings around $929, with uncirculated examples ranging from $2,033 to $2,498.
The most famous key date in the series -- designer Victor D. Brenner's initials (V.D.B.) appear on the reverse rim, a detail unique to early 1909 strikes.
For anything you believe is a key date or an error, professional grading protects both buyer and seller by settling condition and authenticity before money changes hands.
The rest of the series, with what each is worth at the top of the grade scale.
List it free on PeerMetals — flat 2.75% seller fee, zero listing fees, 1–3 day payouts.
