1958 Penny Value: Last Wheat Cent and the 1958 Doubled Die

A circulated 1958 or 1958-D penny is worth about 5 cents as of October 2026, and an ordinary uncirculated one about $1. These were the last wheat cents, and billions were saved. Real money sits in two places: the very top grades, where PCGS MS67+ red coins have sold for about $1,400 to $9,000, and the 1958 doubled die obverse, of which three are known, one sold for $1,136,250 in 2023.

So the honest answer for almost every 1958 penny is a nickel or less. The checks below take a few minutes with a loupe and tell you whether yours is one of the rare exceptions.

Quick answer

• A worn 1958 or 1958-D wheat penny is worth about 5 cents, as of October 2026.
• Uncirculated rolls of 50 sell for about $10-20 (1958) and $20-30 (1958-D) on eBay, according to CoinWeek.
• Gem red coins rise slowly until the top: a 1958-D in NGC MS66 red sold for $20.50 in 2024, while PCGS MS67+ red coins have brought about $1,400 to $9,000.
• The 1958 doubled die obverse is one of the great Lincoln cent rarities: three are known, and the finest sold for $1,136,250 at GreatCollections in January 2023.
• A 1958 penny with "doubling" from pocket change is almost always machine doubling, which adds no value.

How do you value a 1958 penny, step by step?

Read the mint mark, judge wear and color, then rule the doubled die in or out.

1. Confirm it is a wheat cent. Turn it over. Two wheat stalks framing ONE CENT means a wheat reverse, used from 1909 to 1958. A 1958 date with a building on the back is not possible; the Lincoln Memorial reverse began in 1959.
2. Read the mint mark. It sits under the date on the front. No letter means Philadelphia, which struck 252,525,000 cents in 1958. D means Denver, which struck 800,953,300.
3. Judge wear. Look at Lincoln's cheekbone and jaw, and at the lines in the wheat stalks on the back. Flat, smooth high points mean circulated, and a circulated 1958 is worth about 5 cents.
4. Judge color. Uncirculated cents are graded red, red-brown or brown. Bright, even orange-red luster with no spots is what carries the gem prices.
5. Check for the doubled die. Look at LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST with a 10x loupe. On the real 1958 doubled die, the letters show a strong, clear second image, with raised, rounded secondary outlines. CoinWeek notes the doubling is weakest on the date.
6. Rule out machine doubling. Flat, shelf-like doubling that looks like a smeared step on the side of each letter is strike doubling. It is common and adds nothing.
7. Rule out damage and cleaning. A cleaned 1958 looks bright but dull and unnatural, with fine scratches. It sells for little above a circulated coin.
8. Price from sold results for the same mint, grade and color. A raw coin is not priced like a PCGS MS67+ red.

What is a 1958 penny worth?

Prices as of October 2026, from auction records listed by CoinWeek and recent eBay sales. Circulated coins of both mints are worth about 5 cents.

The gap between MS66 and MS67+ is the whole story for normal 1958 cents. CoinWeek reports that the typical 1958 graded by PCGS or NGC comes back MS66 red, and at that level the coin is worth a few dollars to perhaps $20. PCGS had recorded 11 grading events at MS67+ red by early 2025, and NGC a single MS68. That scarcity at the very top, not the date itself, drives the four-figure results.

Why is the 1958 penny the last wheat penny?

Because the Mint replaced the reverse for Lincoln's 150th birthday. On December 21, 1958, the White House announced a new reverse by Frank Gasparro showing the Lincoln Memorial, and production began in January 1959. That made 1958 the final year of Victor David Brenner's wheat stalks, used since 1909.

Being the last year made the 1958 popular with roll hoarders. CoinWeek explains that the coin roll craze of the 1950s and 1960s, together with its last-of-type status, ensured a large number of red uncirculated 1958 cents survived. That is why rolls still trade for a few dimes per coin. For the whole run of wheat cents and the key dates that are worth real money, see our guide to wheat penny value.

What is the 1958 doubled die penny?

It is a 1958 Philadelphia cent struck from an obverse die with a strongly doubled image, and it is one of the rarest Lincoln cents. Coin World reports that three examples are known, all from Philadelphia, with doubling strongest on LIBERTY. Accounts of where they came from differ. The Cherrypickers' Guide, quoted by CoinWeek, says the known pieces came from a Mint employee, while a PCGS account published by CoinWeek credits the discovery to Philadelphia collector Charles Ludovico, who found one in a $50 bag of 1958 cents around 1960. No new example has turned up since.

Two have sold publicly. One PCGS MS64 red example brought $336,000 at Stack's Bowers in March 2018. The Stewart Blay example, PCGS MS65 red with a CAC sticker, sold for $1,136,250 at GreatCollections on January 22, 2023. According to GreatCollections founder Ian Russell, quoted by Coin World, it was the first Lincoln cent to sell for more than $1 million at auction. Blay had bought it privately in 2005 for more than $100,000. The third coin, also PCGS MS64 red and believed to be the discovery piece, has no public sale record.

The odds that a 1958 penny from a jar is the fourth example are very low; in more than sixty years of searching, no fourth coin has been confirmed. That does not mean you should not look. It means a coin with apparent doubling deserves a calm second look, a comparison with photos of the real variety, and an expert's opinion before anyone gets excited.

What does a fake or mistaken 1958 doubled die look like?

Most "1958 doubled die" listings are ordinary coins with machine doubling. Machine doubling, also called strike doubling, happens when the die bounces slightly as it strikes. It leaves a flat, shelf-like ledge on one side of each letter. Hub doubling, the real kind, gives a raised second image with rounded edges and often visible separation lines.

CoinWeek warns that sellers on eBay and similar sites pass off ordinary 1958 cents with minor doubling as the rare variety. Altered and counterfeit pieces also exist for famous varieties like this one. The safe rule is simple: a 1958 doubled die is only real when PCGS or NGC says so, and serious buyers will not pay for anything else. Our guide to error coins worth money explains the different kinds of doubling in more detail.

Is it worth grading a 1958 penny?

Rarely. Grading fees at PCGS and NGC are charged per coin, and with shipping they usually cost more than a 1958 cent is worth below MS67. CoinWeek makes the same point about the 1958-D: sales one or two grades below the top fall below the cost of submission, as the $20.50 sale of an NGC MS66 red coin in 2024 shows.

The math only works for a coin you honestly believe can reach MS67 or MS67+ red: full, unbroken luster, even orange color, and no spots, nicks or hairlines under a 5x loupe on the cheek and the fields in front of Lincoln's face. That is perhaps one coin in many rolls. If you have a whole roll of bright 1958 cents, look through it for the single best coin rather than sending the roll. Our coin grading scale guide explains what separates MS66 from MS67.

Where do 1958 pennies sell best?

Circulated 1958 and 1958-D cents sell best in bulk. Coin shops buy wheat cents by the roll or the pound at a few cents each, and eBay buyers pay the roll prices above for original bank-wrapped uncirculated rolls. Single raw coins rarely justify a listing on their own. Top-grade coins in PCGS or NGC holders sell well through auction houses that handle Lincoln cents, where registry collectors compete for them.

A worked example

Say you inherit a jar of wheat cents and find a bright, unworn 1958 with no mint mark. Under a loupe the cheek has no flat spot, the color is mostly orange with a few darker freckles, and the letters of LIBERTY look slightly thick with a flat step on the right side of each letter.

The step is machine doubling, not a doubled die, so the coin is an ordinary 1958. The freckles mean it would likely grade red-brown or red with spots, around MS64 to MS65. That is a coin worth about $1 to a few dollars. It is a nice example of the last wheat cent year and a good keeper, but grading would cost more than it adds. Only a spotless, fully red coin with strong luster that you honestly believe is an MS67 is worth sending in.

Common mistakes

• Expecting every 1958 to be rare because it was the last year. Over a billion were struck between the two mints, and many were saved.
• Calling machine doubling a doubled die. Flat, shelf-like doubling is common and worth nothing extra.
• Pricing from the MS67+ column. Four-figure prices are for a few dozen top coins in PCGS or NGC holders.
• Assuming the 1958-D is better. Denver struck more than three times as many coins as Philadelphia.
• Cleaning the coin. It strips the original color that decides every uncirculated price; see should you clean old coins.
• Paying for a raw "1958 DDO" online. The known examples are in PCGS holders with public records.

How WorthPic reads 1958 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 and the wheat lines, and estimates color. It looks at LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST for the raised, rounded second image of hub doubling and separates it from flat machine doubling where the photo allows. It then gives an honest value range in US dollars with a most likely figure, explains what drives it, and says which close-up would settle any doubt. It cannot judge an MS67 from a phone photo, and it cannot confirm that a coin is a genuine 1958 doubled die. It identifies and estimates. It does not authenticate, grade or appraise.

What to photograph

• The front and back straight on, in even daylight.
• LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST close up, sharp enough to see the edges of each letter.
• The date and the space under it close up.
• Lincoln's cheek and jaw at an angle, to show any wear.
• For a bright coin, one photo that shows the true color without glare.

When to get it looked at in person

A worn 1958 or 1958-D needs no expert, and a dealer will usually buy wheat cents by the roll or the pound. For a coin you believe is a top-grade red gem, PCGS or NGC grading is the only way to reach the prices in the table, and it pays only for a truly spotless coin. If you see clear doubling on LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST, show it to an experienced coin dealer or a variety specialist first, and then send it to PCGS or NGC for attribution. For the rest of a jar, start with what pennies are worth money and the coin grading scale.

Sources

• CoinWeek: 1958 Lincoln Cent, a collector's guide: Philadelphia mintage, circulated and roll values, top populations, MS67+ auction results and both doubled die sales.
• CoinWeek: 1958-D Lincoln Wheat Cent, a collector's guide: Denver mintage, roll prices, the $20.50 MS66 sale and MS67+ results.
• Coin World: Market analysis, 1958 DDO cent bests $1M: the January 2023 sale, the three known examples and where the doubling shows.
• Wikipedia: Lincoln cent: the December 1958 announcement of the Memorial reverse and the bronze composition.