How much is a 1945 wheat penny worth today

1945 Lincoln (Wheat) Penny

The Lincoln penny is one of the most recognizable coins ever produced by the US Mint. Even though the coin has an insignificant face value, the age of the 1945 Lincoln penny makes it desirable to collectors. What’s more, the fact that these coins are no longer being produced means that their value is inherently rising all the time.

The obverse side of the 1945 Lincoln penny is dominated in the center by the profile of Abraham Lincoln. To the left of the President’s image is a raised inscription which reads “Liberty.” Opposite that inscription is one that marks the 1945 year of minting. Arching overtop of the obverse is a raised inscription which reads “In God We Trust.”

On the reverse of the 1945 Lincoln, there will be two raised inscriptions in the center part of the coin. One of the raised inscriptions will read “United States of America,” while the other marks the “One Cent” face value. On the left and right outer edges of the reverse there are two single stalks of wheat, which helps you understand why this coin is sometimes referred to as a “Wheat Penny.” Finally, the Latin phrase “E Pluribus Unum” is arching overtop of the reverse.

Grading the 1945 Lincoln Penny

When it comes to the 1945 Lincoln, collectors only want those pieces which have been graded. Basically, a coin’s grade is nothing more than a professional description of the coin’s condition. Below you will find an outline which explains the different coin grades as well as what they mean for the 1945 Lincoln.

Uncirculated: If a coin is worthy of the Uncirculated grade, this means that the coin has never been on the open market. Because these coins were never used for day to day transactions, they will be in flawless condition. In fact, you will not even see one scratch on the surface of these coins.

Extremely Fine: A coin that is determined to be of Extremely Fine grade is one that might have a scratch or two, but is otherwise in perfect condition. In most cases, Extremely Fine Lincoln pennies will appear to be mostly pristine. All things considered, these coins are some of the best around as far as condition is concerned.

Fine: A coin that is of Fine grade will likely have been circulated to some extent, but will still be in decent shape. You will notice some smoothing and light scratching, but this is nothing more than normal wear and tear for a coin so old. All things considered, the raised aspects of the coin will be intact and easily deciphered.

Good: Good is the worst grade a coin can receive and is indicative of a piece that has been heavily circulated. From deep scratching to the complete wearing away of the raised aspects of the imagery and lettering, these coins have definitely seen their better days. Still, despite their condition they are still desirable for most collectors.

Pricing the 1945 Lincoln Penny

If you want to determine the value of a 1945 Lincoln, you must take into consideration a few different factors. For one, there were 3 different types of Lincoln pennies produced most years. Because the different coin types were produced in different quantities, the type plays into the value heavily. Secondly, the condition the coin is in means everything. Knowing this, it goes without saying that the better the condition the coin is in, the more valuable it will likely be.

Lincoln Pennies

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How Much Is A 1945 Wheat Penny Worth?

The Lincoln Wheat Penny dated 1945 isn’t worth that much compared to other rare US pennies due to the amount of coins that were produced that year.

Apart from its face value of 1 cent, it has a melt value of about $0.0185 due to the amount of copper it’s made from.

This is also what gives it the red color.

Although, because they are no longer made, they will continue to appreciate in numismatic value.

If you’re lucky enough, you might be able to find one that has some sort of lamination error on it or double die from the minting process, but the odds are pretty slim.

Have you seen one that is upside down? That would also increase its value.

How Much Have 1945 Wheat Pennies Sold For In The Past?

An uncirculated mint condition 1945 Penny produced in Philadelphia (no mint mark) sold at auction for around $4400.

Quite a good price for a coin that isn't in extremely fine state. You can also find this Lincoln penny selling on eBay with free shipping for up to $200.

The 1945 penny with no mint mark isn't worth any more or less than a version with a mint mark. The Lincoln penny value is determined by the grading.

The Denver coins sell on eBay for around $26 and has an auction record price of $14,000.

The auction coin was rated MS68RD by the PCGS.

The San Francisco coins also sell on eBay for around $26.

Can you spot the mistake on the 1945 S and D Wheat Penny shown in the Video?

What Were 1945 Pennies Made Of?

The 1945 Wheat Penny was created by the designer and engraver Victor D Brenner and is made from 95% Copper and 5% Zinc (No Tin). It weighs 3.11 grams and is 19mm in diameter.

Usually Lincoln cents are made up of 95% Copper and 5% Tin/Zinc although between 1944 and 1946, the coins were supposedly made with metal melted down from World War II shell casings.

Due to this variation in the metal during this period, you may know the 1945 Lincoln Wheat Pennies as ‘Shell Case Cents’.

Heads Or Tails?

On the obverse side of the coin is a profile portrait of Abraham Lincoln pointing to the right. To the left of this President’s image is the word ‘LIBERTY’. To the right of the image is the date 1945 with the mint mark location underneath. Above the portrait in arched writing it reads, ‘IN GOD WE TRUST’.

On the reverse side of the coin, centered in large writing, it reads, ‘ONE CENT UNITED STATES OF AMERICA’. On each side of this writing there is an ear of wheat, leading to the coin being named ‘Wheat Penny’. At the top of the reserve side it reads, ‘E PLURIBUS UNUM’. This Latin phrase translates as ‘Out of many, one’ or ‘One from many’.

Where Is The Mint Mark On A 1945 Lincoln Wheat Penny?

Out of the three variations, the 1945 S Wheat Penny minted in San Francisco is probably the most valuable at around $2-$6 in mint condition. The circulated value would be a lot less. Maybe $0.10-$0.20 or just face value.

This is because SF made the least amount of penny coins that year at around 181,770,000 making them more rare than other variations.

You will notice that any wheat pennies minted in SF have a small ‘s’ under the date on the obverse or head side of the coin.

Likewise, any that were minted in Denver have a small ‘d’ under the date.

In 1945 there were around 1,488,553,000 wheat cents produced. 266,268,000 are D Wheat pennies made is Denver, while 1,040,515,000 were produced in Philadelphia and have no mint mark. Some people refer to these as 1945 P Wheat Pennies.

The remaining 181,700,000 as I mentioned previously were made in San Francisco and are known as S Wheat Pennies.

How Much Is A 1945 Steel Penny Worth?

If you have a 1945 Wheat Penny made of steel, it is virtually worthless. That’s because it’s most likely a fake or has been tampered with in some way to make it silver looking.

You might get face value for it.

In 1945 all Lincoln Cents were made from Copper and Zinc. They only produced Steel Pennies in 1943 and 1944 due to needing all the copper for the war effort, then reverted back to the traditional Bronze composite without the tin in 1945.

From 1946 onwards, the tin was added back into the Bronze composite.

More Lincoln Wheat Cents 1909 - 1958

1909, 1910, 1911, 1912,1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958.

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