I see a lot of "what's it worth" posts about cents - lincoln and wheat. Below are my 2 cents about cents Basically, all cents are worth 1 cent. In order for a cent to be worth more, it has to be exceptional in some way AND popular. The 1909 S VDB is such a cent. The truth is no matter how rare you think your cent is, there are probably thousands more just like it - hence the importance of the popularity factor. So, how do you know if you have a cent worth something? Well, a new coin book is a must. Preferably one devoted to cents, if that's what you wish to collect. There you will find a wealth of information and will develop a sense of what to look for. For instance, you probably held a "LIBIERTY" error cent sometime in your life, and never knew it. It occurs when the die gets clogged between the "B" and the "E". That can be sold for about $5 - 500 times the cent's value. Also, invest in a magnifying glass if you want to see certain details Things you shouldn't look for are strangely worn or a little off center or slightly thicker cents. They may be errors, but they're too easy to find, hence noone wants to buy them. Even obvious error coins are usually not worth much. Should you find a cent even 60% off center, it won't be worth more than $50. To break the $100 barrier with cents, you have to invest in cents, not try to find them for free. You can buy a cent, hold on to it for a while and then sell it - hopefully for a profit. You can also buy "raw" (ungraded) cents, have them graded and then sell them. I did this with a 1909 S VDB - bought it for $400, graded it, held on to it for a few years and then sold it for $750. The more expensive the coins you have, the more exciting the collecting becomes I hope this helps someone. Some of the information could be outdated though, as I stopped collecting cents a few years ago. But, I think the principles still apply. -Val Djachenko
Right you are....but as a rule of coins a Wheat cent is almost always valued at $0.03-$0.05 cents per Wheat.... Sounds like you got a good deal on a S VDB...what grade was it?? I just got mine this year...a PCI VF20 for a little over $700....I think its graded right and would cross over if I ever do have to sell it... Speedy
Mine was a PCGS VF35. A very fine coin indeed. By the sounds of it, the price went up even more. However, I did take a chance when I bought it raw. It could have been a fake, so even then at $400 it was a fair deal (about 7 years ago). When I sold it last year, I thought the price couldn't go any higher The whole grading process cost about $50, mail and insurance charges included. So I profited $300 or 75%. If I had known, I would have invested all my money in these coins
This coin will stay with me as long as I can hold it....if the time comes...well...I'll have to sell it but I got it to complete my set and its done! Speedy
