1909-S V.D.B. Wheat Penny Value

1909-S V.D.B. Lincoln Cent

Key date

A celebrated Lincoln key date: only 484,000 were made.

1909-S V.D.B. Wheat Penny: front (type example, 1909-S VDB cent) — Type example: 1909-S VDB cent. Your coin's date and mint mark may differ.
Photo credits
Photo: Bruxton (Wikimedia Commons), CC0 (CC0; front, back)

1909-S V.D.B. Wheat Penny: back (type example, 1909-S VDB cent) — Type example: 1909-S VDB cent. Your coin's date and mint mark may differ.
Photo credits
Photo: Bruxton (Wikimedia Commons), CC0 (CC0; front, back)

Often fakedAdded S marks, altered 1909 V.D.B. coins and die-struck fakes are common. Have it authenticated by PCGS or NGC before buying or selling. Check the signs below and weigh it.

Value by condition

Penny Value estimate · values as of Q4 2026

Worn (Good to Very Fine)

$470 – $890

G-4 – VF-20

Uncirculated (MS-60)

$2,000

Brown

By grade

Typical value at each grade and colour. Penny Value estimate.
Grade	Brown	Red-Brown	Red
G-4Good	$470	—	—
VG-8Very Good	$720	—	—
F-12Fine	$870	—	—
VF-20Very Fine	$890	—	—
XF-40Extremely Fine	$1,500	—	—
AU-50About Uncirculated	$1,600	—	—
MS-60Mint State (Uncirculated)	$2,000	$2,500	—
MS-63Mint State (Uncirculated)	$2,000	$2,500	$4,200
MS-65Mint State (Uncirculated)	$4,600	$5,700	$9,900

Values as of Q4 2026 · Penny Value estimate · based on 3 recorded sales

Penny Value estimate, 2026-Q4, from public sale records, mintage and survival data. It isn't a price guide or an offer.

How Penny Value estimates values

Check your own penny

Take a photo of each side. Penny Value reads the date and the mint mark, tells you if it could be a 1909-S V.D.B. and what to check.

Check your own penny

Penny Value is an Android app for now, so it isn't on the App Store. The values and checks on this page are free to use.Penny Value is an Android app. Open this page on your Android phone to check your own penny with a photo.

How to identify it

S mint mark below the date
V.D.B. at the bottom centre of the tails side
Compare the S with genuine references; weight about 3.11 g

What to check

What a genuine 1909-S V.D.B. shows:

S mint mark under the date (1909): YesIs there a small letter S directly below the date on the heads side?
V.D.B. on the tails side: YesAre the letters V.D.B. at the bottom centre of the reverse, between the wheat stalks near the rim?

To check yours, photograph

Bottom of the back
Mint mark close-up

Specs

Series: Lincoln Wheat Cent
Year: 1909
Mint: San Francisco
Mint mark: Below the date, on the front
Metal: Bronze (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc)
Weight: 3.11 g
Mintage: 484,000
1909-S with V.D.B. on the reverse.
Source: Wikipedia
Designer: Victor David Brenner

Other varieties of this date

1909-S (no V.D.B.)
San Francisco · 1,825,000 made
Key date
$87.00worn
$180MS-60
1909-S/Horizontal S
San Francisco · Included in the 1,825,000 1909-S (no V.D.B.) coins; not counted separately.
Variety
$70.00worn
$190MS-60

Other 1909 pennies

1909 (no V.D.B.)
Philadelphia · 72.7 million made
7.5¢worn
$24.00MS-60
1909 Matte Proof (no V.D.B.)
Philadelphia · Proof · 2,352 made
Proof
$410proof

1909 penny values · Every Lincoln Wheat Cent · Penny value chart