1919 Wheat Penny

Notes:

The Lincoln Wheat Cent was produced from 1909 to 1958. It gets its name from the two ears of wheat on the reverse of the coin. In 1919 all pennies were made of 95% copper and 5% zinc. With over 392 million of these issued across all three mints you are likely to stumble upon this coin in various conditions.

With any of these old wheat cents the most coveted of colors is the RD (Red). Check out the guide below to see if your coin is Red, Red Brown, or Brown.

1919 Copper Penny Color Guide

Dimensions

• Diameter: 19.05 mm (0.75 inches)
• Thickness: 1.55 mm (0.061 inches)
• Weight: 3.11 grams (0.11 ounces)

Mintage Numbers (see graph below)

• 1919 Philadelphia (no mint mark): 392,021,000 minted
• 1919 D Denver: 57,154,000 minted
• 1919-S San Francisco: 139,760,000 minted

Errors

1919 Wheat Penny errors include but are not limited to, off center strikes, struck on foreign planchets, and cracked dies.

Did you know?

President Lincoln was a wrestler in his youth. According to historical accounts only lost 1 out of 300 matches. He was also known for his physical strength and was said to have once lifted a 300-pound rock.

How much is a 1919 Wheat Penny worth?

In Average Circulated (AC) condition it's worth around 35 cents, one in certified mint state (MS+) condition could bring as much as $85 at auction. This price does not reference any standard coin grading scale. So when we say Average Circulated, we mean in a similar condition to other coins circulated in 1919, and mint state meaning it is certified MS+ by one of the top coin grading companies. *** [?].

What are your coins really worth?

Use the handy-dandy calculator below to find the real value of any wheat penny in your collection.

Specs & Design

This coin has a total mass of 3.11 g, a diameter of 19.05 mm, and a thickness of 1.55 mm. It's edge is smooth, and the coins are composed of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc..

Designer: Victor D. Brenner

Front (Obverse): The front or obverse of this coin contains the bust of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. If a mint mark is present it will be on the bottom right just under the year. If no mint mark is present the coin was minted in Philadelphia. With D standing for Denver, and S standing for San Francisco. The words IN GOD WE TRUST follow the top arch of the coin nicely framing Lincolns head, and the word LIBERTY sits just left of President Lincolns Colar.

Back (Reverse): The reverse of the Wheat Penny, also known as the Wheat Cent contains two wheat stalks, the words One Cent, and the Latin phrase E PLURIBUS UNUM which means Out of many, one. The reverse image would later change in 1959.