A 2009 penny from your change is worth one cent as of late 2026. The Mint struck about 2.35 billion of them for circulation across four reverse designs and two mints, all in copper-plated zinc, so a worn one carries no collector premium at all. Money starts in four places. The copper satin finish cents from the 2009 Mint sets sell for about $3-12 each raw. Circulation strikes in very high grade, MS67 Red, sell for about $55-250 in a holder, and the rare MS68 examples have brought four figures. The 2009-S proofs sell for about $10-20 in PR69 and around $90-100 in PR70. And the Formative Years cent, the one showing young Lincoln reading on a log, has more than fifty listed doubled die reverses that mostly sell for about $5-50, with strong examples in high grade bringing more.
That is the honest picture. The 2009 cents were saved in huge numbers because they were new and different, and most of the coins people set aside that year are worth exactly what they paid. The few that are worth more can be sorted with a magnifier and a kitchen scale.
Quick answer
- Circulated 2009 penny, any of the four designs, either mint: one cent.
- Satin finish copper cents from 2009 Mint sets: about $3-12 raw, more in top grades.
- Circulation strikes in MS67 Red: about $55-250 graded. MS68 Red: thin sales, roughly $1,300-6,000.
- Formative Years doubled die reverses (extra fingers): mostly $5-50, with the strongest $50 and up.
- 2009-S proofs: about $10-20 in PR69, about $90-100 in PR70.
How to identify and value a 2009 penny, step by step
- Turn it over and name the design. The 2009 reverses mark the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth and follow his life in four stages. A small log cabin is Birth and Early Childhood in Kentucky. Young Lincoln sitting on a log reading a book is the Formative Years in Indiana. Lincoln standing in front of the Illinois State Capitol is the Professional Life. The half-finished US Capitol dome is the Presidency in Washington.
- Read the mint mark. It sits under the date on the obverse. A D is Denver and an S is San Francisco, which in 2009 means a proof from a proof set. Philadelphia cents of 2009 carry no mint mark at all, and price guides list them as 2009-P or plain 2009. A missing mint mark is normal, not an error.
- Weigh it if you can. A circulation cent is copper-plated zinc and weighs about 2.5 grams. The satin finish Mint set cents and the proofs were struck in the old 95 percent copper alloy and weigh about 3.11 grams. A scale reading to a tenth of a gram settles it in seconds.
- Look at the surface. A satin finish cent has an even, soft, slightly grainy shine, not the bright flash of a normal new cent and not the mirror of a proof. A proof has mirror fields and frosted devices and an S mint mark. If the coin is still in its Mint set or proof set packaging, the packaging tells you.
- On a Formative Years cent, check Lincoln's hand. Use a 5x or 10x loupe on the hand holding the book. Most doubled die reverses on this design show up as an extra finger or thumb outline. Also check the lettering around the rim for doubling.
- Judge the condition honestly. Look at Lincoln's cheek and jaw on the obverse and the high points of the reverse design. Any brown toning, rub or scratches put a circulation strike back at face value. Premium circulation strikes are full red, sharp and nearly spotless.
- Price from sold results for the exact design, mint, finish and grade. A 2009-D Presidency in MS67 Red and a 2009-P Presidency in MS65 are very different coins, and a price for a graded coin does not apply to a raw one in a roll.
2009 penny values by type
Figures are approximate retail and sold ranges as of late 2026. The circulation strike values in high grade come from price guides with modest sales volume, so treat the MS67 and MS68 figures as guide ranges rather than firm prices.
| Type | How to tell | Circulated | Uncirculated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circulation strike, any design, Philadelphia or D | Copper-plated zinc, about 2.5 g, normal luster | 1 cent | 10 cents to a few dollars up to MS65 |
| Circulation strike, MS66 Red | Full red, sharp, few marks | not applicable | About $16-28 graded |
| Circulation strike, MS67 Red | Near flawless, graded | not applicable | About $55-250 depending on design and mint |
| Circulation strike, MS68 Red | Very few exist | not applicable | Thin sales, roughly $1,300-6,000 |
| Satin finish, Philadelphia or D, from Mint sets | 95 percent copper, about 3.11 g, satin surface | Rarely circulated | About $3-12 raw |
| 2009-S proof, copper | S mint mark, mirror fields | not applicable | About $2-6 raw; $10-20 in PR69; $90-100 in PR70 |
| Formative Years doubled die reverse | Extra finger or thumb on the hand | About $5-20 | About $20-50, strongest dies more |
| Doubled die obverse, any design | Doubling in LIBERTY or IN GOD WE TRUST | About $3-15 | About $10-40 |
The mintages show why the circulation strikes are common. The Birth and Early Childhood cent had about 284 million struck at Philadelphia and 350 million at Denver. The Formative Years had about 376 million and 364 million. The Professional Life had about 316 million and 336 million. The Presidency had the smallest run, about 130 million at Philadelphia and 198 million at Denver, which is why it is sometimes called the scarce one. Even the Presidency is common in any grade below MS67. The satin finish cents were made for the 36-coin 2009 Mint set and number about 785,000 per design and mint.
What changes the price
| Factor | What it does to the value |
|---|---|
| Color | Red keeps the premium on an uncirculated cent. Red-brown cuts it sharply and brown is near face value. |
| Grade | The jump from MS66 to MS67 Red can be ten times, and from MS67 to MS68 another ten. |
| Finish | Satin finish and proof cents are copper and were never meant to circulate. They start above face. |
| Doubled die strength | Faint doubling visible only under magnification sells for a few dollars. Clear extra fingers sell for tens. |
| Original packaging | A complete 2009 Mint set or proof set sells more easily than loose coins. |
| Spots and carbon | Dark spots on a copper cent are a common deduction and do not wash off. |
| Cleaning | A cleaned cent loses its original color and most of its premium. |
Common mistakes
- Saving every 2009 penny because it has an unusual back. All four reverses were struck by the hundreds of millions. In circulated condition they are one cent.
- Thinking the Presidency cent is rare. It has the lowest mintage of the four, but that is still more than 300 million coins. It is only worth more in top grades.
- Treating the missing mint mark as an error. Philadelphia cents of 2009 have no mint mark, as Philadelphia cents have had in every year except 2017. Hundreds of millions were struck that way.
- Calling a weak or worn strike a doubled die. Machine doubling and wear can make letters look smeared or shelved. A true doubled die shows rounded, separated second outlines, the same on every coin from that die.
- Mixing up satin finish and ordinary uncirculated coins. Only cents from the official 2009 Mint sets are satin finish copper. A bright cent from a bank roll is zinc, and the scale tells you which you have.
- Expecting melt value. The satin and proof cents are copper and carry a couple of cents in metal, but melting cents is illegal in the US. The circulation cents are mostly zinc.
- Cleaning a cent to make it red. Cleaning is obvious to a buyer and removes the original color that the premium depends on; see whether you should clean old coins.
How WorthPic reads 2009 penny photos
WorthPic runs on the newest and most capable AI model available, tuned for exactly this kind of identification. On a 2009 cent it starts with the reverse, because the four designs are easy to tell apart at a glance, then reads the date and mint mark on the obverse. It looks at the surface for the soft, even shine of a satin finish or the mirror of a proof, checks the Formative Years hand for the extra finger outlines of a listed doubled die, and looks for doubling in the obverse lettering. It reads color, toning, spots and marks to place the coin in a broad band, and gives an honest value range for what the photos show.
It cannot weigh the coin, and a photo cannot always tell a satin finish copper cent from a bright zinc one, so when that matters it will ask for the weight. It also cannot separate MS66 from MS67 with any confidence, and that one step is where most of the money on a circulation strike sits. It identifies and estimates. It does not authenticate, grade or appraise.
What to photograph
- The reverse straight on, in even light, so the design is clear edge to edge.
- The obverse straight on, for the date, mint mark and the color of Lincoln's portrait.
- Lincoln's hand on a Formative Years cent, close up through a loupe or with a macro lens, filling the frame.
- LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST close up if you suspect obverse doubling.
- The coin on a scale showing the weight, if you think it is a satin finish copper cent.
- The Mint set or proof set packaging, with the coin in place, if you have it.
When to get it looked at in person
A circulated 2009 cent does not need anyone to look at it. If you have a roll of bright uncirculated cents, the honest step is to pull the best ones with a loupe, and only the coins that look flawless and fully red are worth thinking about further. PCGS and NGC grade cents for about $20-40 per coin plus shipping, which only makes sense for a coin with a real chance at MS67 Red or a strong listed doubled die. A coin dealer or a local coin club can give you a quick opinion on whether a coin is worth the fee, and the variety specialists who keep the doubled die listings can attribute a Formative Years die from a clear photo. For the whole run of Lincoln cents, our guide to what pennies are worth money puts 2009 in context, and error coins worth money covers doubled dies, off-center strikes and other mistakes on any date. The 1982 penny is the year the cent switched from copper to zinc, which is why the 2009 satin cents in copper stand out.