Coin specifications and design
Design identification
Obverse: Abraham Lincoln portrait.
Reverse: Two wheat ears frame ONE CENT and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, with E PLURIBUS UNUM above.
U.S. Mint coin reference
Lincoln Wheat Penny
Lincoln Wheat Cent 1909-1958 Wheat reverse Lincoln cents separated into their own guide.
Lincoln Wheat cent series notes
Victor D. Brenner's Lincoln obverse debuted in 1909, the centennial of Lincoln's birth. The reverse carries two wheat sheaves from 1909 through 1958; Memorial and Union Shield reverses belong to later Lincoln-cent types and are not part of this series.
Key issues and varieties: 1909-S V.D.B., 1914-D, 1922 No D, and 1931-S anchor the regular-date set. Widely collected varieties include the 1909 V.D.B. doubled die obverse, 1917 doubled die obverse, 1936 doubled die obverse, 1944-D/S, and 1955 doubled die obverse. The 1943 bronze and 1944 steel cents are transitional off-metal errors, not regular composition varieties.
Attribution and strike: The 1922 No D requires die-pair diagnostics because weak-D pieces and altered mint marks are common sources of misattribution. On red and red-brown copper examples, carbon spots, fingerprints, recoloring, and altered surfaces are more consequential than ordinary high-point wear. Steel cents require separate evaluation for zinc loss, corrosion, and post-Mint replating.