Lincoln Wheat Cent
1909 – 1958
The Lincoln Wheat Cent was designed by Victor David Brenner, and is well known by several different names, but is probably most often referred to as the Wheat Penny.
In average circulated grades most Wheat Cents are valued at around $0.10 or less, but some high grade specimens can fetch in tens of thousands of dollars. For example, in 1914 less than 1.2 million cents were struck at the Denver Mint. As a result a 1914-D Lincoln Wheat Cent can sale for more than $25,000.00.
Another “key” wheat penny to look for is the 1909-S which even in poor grades is worth hundreds of dollars. This is the one which has the initials of the designer, “V.D.B.”, on the lower…
US Large Cents
1793 – 1857
From 1793 through 1857 the US cent was much larger than what we are accustomed to today. These cents ranged from 27 mm to 29 mm in diameter, quite large when compared to the modern Lincoln Cent which is only 19 mm in diameter.
Different designs were used for US Large Cents:
1793 Flowing Hair Large Cent ~ (chain reverse)
This was actually the first time that the Federal Government minted a coin using its own equipment and facilities. Only 36,103 Flowing Hair Large Cents were struck with the chain reverse. The fact that these coins were minted in such low numbers along with it being struck for only 1 year make this one of the rarest US coins for…
Flying Eagle Cent
1856 - 1858
The collecting of small cents is second in popularity only to the Morgan Dollar. The first small cent was the 
Flying Eagle Cent which was minted for a very short time from 1856 to 1858. A second restrike of the coin was made in 1860, but those are questionable among collectors.
By 1851 it cost the mint $1.06 to produce one dollar’s face value, 100 coins, of the large cent. Large Cents of the time were composed of 100% pure copper and were a huge 27 to 29 mm in diameter. Although the first Flying Eagle Cent was minted in 1856 it wasn’t until 1857 that it was recognized officially as the replacement for the Large Cent.…
Indian Head Cent
1859 – 1909
The Indian Head Cent was designed by James Barton Longacre and minted from 1859 through 1909. They 
were produced at the Philadelphia Mint for the duration and by the San Francisco Mint in 1908 and 1909.
The obverse of this coin features Lady Liberty wearing a feathered bonnet. Though this coin is commonly called the Indian Head Cent, or the Indian Head Penny, it is not a Native American that appears on the obverse. It has the words, “United States of America” along with the date around the rim and the word “Liberty” on the headband.
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