A worn 1919 penny with no mint mark is worth about 30 cents to $2 as of October 2026, and a 1919-D or 1919-S about $2 to $16 in Fine to Extremely Fine. Uncirculated red coins are where the money is: about $325 for a 1919 in MS65, about $1,300 for a 1919-D and about $8,500 for a 1919-S in the PCGS price guide. The finest known, a PCGS MS69 red 1919, sold for $412,500 at GreatCollections in January 2023.
The 1919 cent is more than a century old, but it is not rare. Philadelphia struck more than 390 million, which Wikipedia's mintage table confirms was the highest of any Lincoln cent before 1940. What decides the value is the mint mark, the amount of wear and, for uncirculated coins, the color.
Quick answer
- A circulated 1919 (no mint mark) is worth about 30 cents to $5, as of October 2026, per the CopperCoins guide.
- A circulated 1919-D is about $2-28 and a 1919-S about $1.80-17.50 from F12 to AU50; Denver carries the bigger premium in worn grades.
- In red MS65, a 1919 is about $325, a 1919-D about $1,300 and a 1919-S about $8,500, because few San Francisco coins kept their red.
- No doubled die for 1919 is listed by PCGS. The varieties are repunched mint marks, led by a 1919-S/S and a 1919-D/D.
- The single PCGS MS69 red 1919 sold for $412,500 in January 2023 ($421,875 with the buyer's fee, per Coin World); CoinWeek later reported a resale at $298,125.
How do you value a 1919 penny, step by step?
Read the mint mark, judge wear, and for an unworn coin judge the color.
- Confirm it is a Lincoln wheat cent. Lincoln faces right on the front, and two wheat stalks frame ONE CENT on the back. If an Indian head faces left, see our Indian head penny guide.
- Read the mint mark under the date. No letter is Philadelphia, 392,021,000 struck. D is Denver, 57,154,000. S is San Francisco, 139,760,000. These are the PCGS CoinFacts mintages.
- Find the designer's initials. From 1918 on, the initials V.D.B. sit on the cut-off of Lincoln's shoulder, near the rim. On a worn 1919 they may be faint. They are normal for this date and add no value.
- Judge wear. Look at Lincoln's cheekbone, jaw and hair above the ear, and at the lines in the wheat stalks. On a Fine coin the wheat lines are partly worn away; on an Extremely Fine coin they are nearly complete.
- Check the date and mint mark are original. A 1919 is not a key date, so alterations are rare, but a D or S that sits in a pit, looks glued on or has tool marks around it is a warning sign.
- Judge color if it is unworn. Red (RD), red-brown (RB) and brown (BN) are priced very differently, especially for 1919-D and 1919-S.
- Magnify the mint mark. A second outline beside or inside the D or S is a repunched mint mark, the main variety for this year.
- Price from sold results for the same mint, grade and color.
What is a 1919 penny worth?
Prices as of October 2026. Circulated values are from the CopperCoins series price guide (August/September 2026 edition). Uncirculated red values are PCGS price guide values (guide values, not sale prices).
| Coin | Mintage | G4 | F12 | VF20 | EF40 | AU50 | MS65 red | Finest sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 (no mint mark) | 392,021,000 | 30 cents | 45 cents | $1 | $2 | $5.45 | About $325 | PCGS MS69 red $412,500 (Jan 2023); MS68 red $18,000 (Jan 2019) |
| 1919-D | 57,154,000 | 45 cents | $2 | $6.55 | $16 | $28.25 | About $1,300 | PCGS MS67 red $31,200 (2019) |
| 1919-S | 139,760,000 | 50 cents | $1.80 | $2.60 | $9.75 | $17.50 | About $8,500 | PCGS MS66 red $43,200 (Heritage, Jan 2025); PCGS guide $37,500 |
Guides differ on circulated San Francisco coins. PCGS lists a brown 1919-S at about $5 in VF20, $20 in XF40 and $24 in AU50, higher than CopperCoins. A dealer buying raw coins will usually pay at or below the lower figure; a nice, problem-less coin sold to a collector can reach the higher one.
Why is a red 1919-S worth so much more than a 1919-D?
Because very few 1919-S cents kept their original red color. In brown or red-brown, the three mints are priced closer together. In full red, PCGS lists the 1919-S at about $450 in MS63, $950 in MS64 and $8,500 in MS65, against about $285, $500 and $1,300 for the 1919-D. The PCGS guide puts a red MS66 1919-S at $37,500, against $6,500 for the 1919-D, and a PCGS MS66 red 1919-S sold for $43,200 at Heritage in January 2025.
The 1919-D has its own top end. A PCGS MS67 red 1919-D sold for $31,200 at Heritage in January 2019, and the PCGS guide lists that grade at about $45,000. Even in brown, a PCGS MS66 1919-D brought $3,840 at Stack's Bowers in April 2025, according to PCGS auction records.
For a whole collection of early Lincoln cents, our wheat penny value guide puts 1919 in context with the key dates of the 1909 to 1931 period.
What is the 1919 MS69 penny?
It is the finest known Lincoln wheat cent, a 1919 Philadelphia coin graded PCGS MS69 red with a CAC sticker. CopperCoins notes it came from an original roll of 1919 cents opened about fifteen years ago and that it is the earliest Lincoln cent graded MS69. PCGS lists it as the only pre-1934 Lincoln cent graded MS69, according to CoinWeek.
It sold for $412,500 in January 2023 as part of the Stewart Blay collection at GreatCollections; Coin World reports $421,875 once the buyer's fee is included. CoinWeek has since reported a resale at GreatCollections for $298,125, but its article is inconsistent about the date, so treat that figure as unconfirmed. Either way, it is a one-off. The PCGS guide lists MS69 red at $350,000. The next level down tells you more about real-world value: a PCGS MS68 red 1919 sold for $18,000 at Heritage in January 2019, and CopperCoins lists MS68 red at about $16,200. A normal uncirculated red 1919 is about a $30 to $325 coin, from MS60 to MS65, by the PCGS guide.
Are there 1919 doubled die or error pennies?
There is no major 1919 doubled die. PCGS lists no doubled die or other FS-numbered variety for any 1919 cent. CopperCoins catalogs one minor doubled die obverse for the 1919-S, with thickening on the 19 of the date, at about $10 in F12 and $20 in VF20.
The varieties worth looking for are repunched mint marks. CopperCoins lists:
| Variety | What it looks like | F12 | VF20 | EF40 | Gem uncirculated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919-S/S RPM-001 | Partial lower loop south of the S, extra lower serif at lower left | $45 | $90 | $120 | $8,750 |
| 1919-D/D RPM-001 | Moderate spread to the north; fades on late die state coins | $40 | $60 | $90 | $1,610 |
| 1919-S/S RPM-002 | Rotated counterclockwise, best seen on the lower left serif | $10 | $15 | $20 | Not priced |
CopperCoins calls the 1919-S/S south spread the most watchable feature for the year, visible for anyone who looks. Coins with machine doubling, die cracks or small die chips are common on 1919 cents and add little. Our error coins worth money guide explains which errors carry real premiums.
What grade and color factors move a 1919 penny's price?
| Factor | What to check | Effect on value |
|---|---|---|
| Wear | Cheekbone, jaw, hair above the ear, wheat lines | Each grade step adds dollars on a 1919-D or 1919-S |
| Color | Red, red-brown or brown | Red MS65 1919-S about $8,500; brown MS65 about $550 (PCGS) |
| Surface problems | Corrosion, green spots, scratches, holes | Sell below guide; often at the circulated base price |
| Cleaning | Bright pink or yellow color, hairlines | Cuts value sharply on uncirculated coins |
| Strike | Softness on the hair and wheat lines | Weakly struck coins grade lower |
| Variety | RPM-001 on D or S | Adds $40 or more in Fine and up |
For how the grades from Good to Mint State are judged on a coin like this, see our coin grading scale guide.
A worked example
Say you inherit a 1919-D with the wheat lines about half visible and a flat spot on the cheek. That is roughly Fine to Very Fine. The surface is an even, chocolate brown with no corrosion.
The CopperCoins guide puts that coin at about $2 in F12 and $6.55 in VF20, so a fair value is about $3 to $6. Next, magnify the D. If you see an extra line or curve to the north of the D, it may be RPM-001, which lists at $40 in F12 and $60 in VF20. Compare it with the CopperCoins plate photos. If it matches, a Lincoln variety dealer or a CONECA member can confirm it, and at those values attribution is worth doing. If the D is clean, the coin is a nice $3 to $6 piece of history, worth keeping or selling with other wheat cents.
Common mistakes
- Thinking every 100-year-old penny is valuable. More than 588 million 1919 cents were struck across the three mints.
- Confusing the shoulder V.D.B. with the 1909 V.D.B. The famous 1909-S VDB has the initials at the bottom of the reverse; 1919 cents have small initials on the shoulder.
- Pricing a brown coin as red. A red 1919-S MS65 is about $8,500 by PCGS; a brown one about $550.
- Cleaning the coin. It destroys the original surface.
- Calling machine doubling a doubled die. There is no major 1919 doubled die.
- Ignoring the mint mark. A worn 1919-D is worth several times a worn 1919.
How WorthPic reads 1919 penny photos
WorthPic runs on the newest and most capable AI model available, tuned for exactly this kind of identification. From photos of both sides it reads the date and mint mark, confirms the wheat reverse, judges wear on the cheek, hair and wheat lines, and estimates color. It magnifies the mint mark for the second outline of a repunched D or S, looks for signs of cleaning or corrosion, and checks that the date and mint mark look original. It then gives an honest US dollar value range with a most likely figure, explains what drives it, and says which close-up would settle any doubt. It cannot tell an MS64 from an MS65 red through a phone camera, and it cannot confirm a catalogued variety the way a specialist can. It identifies and estimates. It does not authenticate, grade or appraise.
What to photograph
- Both sides straight on, in even daylight, with no glare.
- The date and mint mark close up.
- Lincoln's cheek and hair at a slight angle, to show wear.
- The wheat stalks on the back, so the lines can be judged.
- Any spots, scratches or green areas, so they are not missed.
When to get it looked at in person
A worn 1919 with no mint mark needs no expert. For a 1919-D or 1919-S in Very Fine or better, a coin dealer who handles Lincoln cents can price it quickly. For an uncirculated 1919-D or 1919-S with real red color, PCGS or NGC grading is worth the fee, because the gap between brown and red and between MS64 and MS65 is hundreds to thousands of dollars. For a possible repunched mint mark, a variety specialist or CONECA member can confirm the die. For the rest of a jar of old cents, start with what pennies are worth money.
Sources
- PCGS CoinFacts: 1919-D, RD: Denver mintage, red price guide and the $31,200 MS67 red sale.
- PCGS CoinFacts: 1919-S, RD: San Francisco mintage, red price guide and the $43,200 MS66 red sale.
- CopperCoins: 1919 date guide: circulated and uncirculated values from the August/September 2026 guide, the MS69 roll story and the variety counts.
- PCGS CoinFacts: 1919, RD: Philadelphia mintage, red price guide through MS69 and the $18,000 MS68 red auction record.
- Coin World: 1919 Lincoln cent realizes $421,875: the January 2023 MS69 red sale and the Blay provenance.
- Wikipedia: Lincoln cent mintage figures: 1919 mintages for all three mints.