Featured Item – Wheat Penny Collection and a Great Story
Filed under: Featured Item, Wheat Penny Collecting, Wheat Penny Stories
Here at The Wheat Penny Store, we love great stories! Below is a great story from Michael and along with his story, an opportunity for you to contact him about starting or adding to your wheat penny collection.
Michael's Story
I started collecting coins at the age of 8 after my parents gave me a Lincoln Head Cent tri-fold blue coin folder (#2) made by Whitman Publishing Company. The first slot begged for 1941 wheat back and carried me through the 1966 Lincoln Memorial type. I was intrigued by the difference between the wheat back and the memorial types as well as the steel wartime cents of 1943.
Coming from meager beginnings I took pride in the coins I found to fill my book and upgraded each as a better quality penny was uncovered.
Forty years later, I recall the day that my older brother found a steel penny to add to his book. Over the years I expanded my collection to include all US type coins and continue today by adding to my collection with each opportunity found.
It wasn’t until recently that I began to inventory my collection and where there were duplicates I kept the best and pushed the others to the side. I started inventorying my larger sized coins and worked backward arriving at my pennies just a few months ago.
Many memories filled my head as I pulled out my blue Lincoln Head Cent folder and began to remove and transfer each penny from the book to their individual 2x2 holders for better protection. Moving onto my bags of pennies, I was surprised afterwards to learn that I had over 5000 spare wheat pennies. So as many coin collectors do, I organized each by year and mint beginning with the 1910 wheatback, rolled the pennies into 50 cents rolls, marked each roll by date and am now putting them out to the world to find new homes with young and not-so-young collectors.
It’s been a get 40 years with many fond memories package along with those rolls of pennies.
If there is anyone out there looking to start or add to their wheatback collection, I may be a source for you. Feel free to email at me some1else2@copmcast.net to buy the wheats or simply talk about collecting.
Michael


Thanks again Michael for a great story and for sharing your collection here at The Wheat Penny Store.
Teaching Kids to Collect Wheat Pennies

Introducing the wonderful hobby of collecting wheat pennies is easy and fun when using a metal detector. A metal detector in itself brings entertainment value to a child and teaching them about the history of wheat pennies while hunting for the buried treasure will bring hours of enjoyment for both you and your child.
The wheat penny is also known as the Lincoln Wheat cent and manufactured in the years 1909 until 1958. The penny was designed by a man named Victor Brenner who was a sculptor from New York. The most valuable of these wheat pennies is the ones that were made in 1909 with Victor Brenner’s initials on the back side of the penny. Some of these uncirculated pennies have sold for over $20,000! While most wheat pennies are now in the hands of collectors by the handfuls, there are still wheat pennies to be found.
Teaching your child about the history of the wheat penny along with a trip outside to any cool place to treasure hunt, will create a love of these pennies and give you both a fun hobby to do together. What child wouldn't want to treasure hunt for coins? When you do find a wheat penny and are able to point out the characteristics and history, this will create a lifelong love of collecting such a historical coin. It also has great potential for a fun family activity for the whole family.
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US $79.99 | 29d 16h 32m |
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| BOUNTY HUNTER JR DETECTOR JUNIOR METAL DETECTOR | ![]() |
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US $61.68 | 28d 17h 17m |
| Bounty Hunter BHJS Junior Metal Detector | ![]() |
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US $56.13 | 28d 15h 56m |
| Bounty Hunter BHJSCC Junior Metal Detector Educational Coin Kit | ![]() |
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1958 Wheat Penny
Filed under: Popular Wheat Penny Searches, Wheat Penny Stories
Did you know?
* 1958 had 252,525,000 minted for circulation
* 1958-D had 800,953,300 minted for circulation
1958 was the last year that the Wheat Back pennies were produced.
At times there have been 1959-D Wheat Pennies available on the market, but there is quite a bit of speculation about them being counterfeit.
What is YOUR opinion about the 1959-D Wheat Penny?
| Wheat Cent Penny Roll Shotgun 1909-1958 *** L@@K *** | ![]() |
4 Bids | US $6.51 | 3h 41m |
| 1950-1958pand 1950-1958 d wheat penny+22 randam wheat pennys 40 wheats total | ![]() |
1 Bid | US $1.00 | 5h 26m |
| 1958 BU Roll of Lincoln Wheat Pennies! 50 BU Coins in all! | ![]() |
5 Bids | US $6.09 | 5h 28m |
| 16 Wheat Pennies Mixed Lot, Oldest = 1939 newest = 1958 Lincoln, Penny, Cent | ![]() |
1 Bid | US $.52 | 5h 48m |
| 10 pounds, roughly 2,000 Wheat Pennies 1909 to 1958 | ![]() |
3 Bids | US $26.51 | 6h 6m |
| Wheat Pennies from 1909-1958 | ![]() |
4 Bids | US $20.59 | 6h 52m |
| Bag Of Mixed Wheat Pennies 1909 - 1958 // Over 375 Coins!! | ![]() |
4 Bids | US $7.99 | 16h 25m |
| wheat pennies assorted 1935 thru 1958 -- 4 pounds 6 oz. | ![]() |
1 Bid | US $12.50 | 18h 8m |
| Wheat Cents / Pennies. 5 LB Lot of Well-Mixed Dates from Teens-1958. Lot #19 | ![]() |
2 Bids | US $24.50 | 21h 19m |
| ROLL OF (50) 1909-1958 WHEAT PENNIES | ![]() |
1 Bid | US $2.00 | 21h 38m |
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Wheat Penny Jewelry
Some Wheat Penny collectors collect more than just the pennies. Coins have been made into jewelry for many years and are still very popular today. and are some of the more popular choices for jewelry, but many folks enjoy wearing and collecting jewelry made from Wheat Pennies.
I remember as a kid getting one of those lucky Wheat Pennies and I probably still have it somewhere. I can't really remember what the outer ring that it was encased in said so I may have to dig it out and take a picture of it to show here on the blog.
Along with those type things you can find:
- Wheat Penny Chains and Pendants
- Wheat Penny Sweetheart Necklaces
- Wheat Penny Watches
These are all neat items and make great gifts or collectibles.
Do you own any Wheat Penny Jewelry?
| USA Wheat Penny 1¢ Coin Cuff Links (144-50) | ![]() |
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US $8.99 | 28d 21h 47m |
| Wheat Penny Earrings Copper & Silver | ![]() |
0 Bid | US $5.00 | 2d 7h 27m |
| Hand Painted USA Wheat Penny Coin Cufflinks | ![]() |
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US $50.00 | 15d 22h 23m |
| Robert Graham Hand Painted Wheat Penny Cufflinks in Red RSO-1174 | ![]() |
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US $168.00 | 9d 5h 23m |
| Vintage Genuine American Coins Charm Bracelet w/ Mercury Dime, Wheat Penny, etc | ![]() |
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US $38.99 | 21d 20h 7m |
| 1943 STEEL WHEAT PENNY Cufflinks Retro Mens Wedding | ![]() |
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US $19.95 | 29d 3h 23m |
| Copper WHEAT PENNY Cufflinks Handmade Gifts Wedding | ![]() |
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US $12.95 | 29d 3h 11m |
| COIN JEWELRY~WHEAT PENNY & MALACHITE EARRINGS~pretty! | ![]() |
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US $14.99 | 28d 8h 45m |
| Vintage Silver Bezel Set 1914 Wheat Penny Charm | ![]() |
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US $14.99 | 13d 21h 42m |
| OLD WHEAT PENNY 1936 CAPTURED TIE CLIP ANTIQUE CUSTOM | ![]() |
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US $18.00 | 20d 21h 38m |
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Are We Running Out of Wheat Pennies to Collect?
How many times have you made a purchase at the store, and when you got your change you hardly waited until you got to the car to check the pennies to see if you have any wheaties? Better yet, how many times in the past have you gotten a hand full of change and actually found wheat pennies?
I can remember when I was younger, much younger... it seemed as though I would find Wheat Pennies much more often in change. Those finds are very rare these days. What could be the reason?
Of course with technology and direct deposit, hardly ever carrying cash etc etc... makes it even harder to find Wheat Pennies when you never use cash to pay for your items. If you don't use cash, you won't get change back right? I guess maybe the Wheaties are out there, but since I'm not handling as much change these days, I'm just not seeing them.
Or could it be that all the Wheat Pennies are being collected and not many are out there for us to find in change anymore? Obviously as time goes on, more and more collectors collecting the same thing... well there's the supply and demand aspect of it.
Either way.. it seems as though purchasing Lincoln Wheat Cents from trade shows, flea markets and places like Ebay has become the new way to find our precious collectibles.
Are the days of finding in our change long gone?
Wheat Penny History – A Wheat Pennies Journey To You
Do you ever sit and wonder about a Wheat Penny or any other collectible coin for that matter, and where that coin has been all it's life?
If we could trace the life of say a 1945 Wheat Penny here in 2009, where would that Wheatie take us? It may seem kinda corny but if you think about it, that 1945 Wheat Cent could have been in some very interesting places!
- In 1945, Harry S Truman was President of the United States. Could that penny have been in his pocket when he became president?
- In March of 1955, Elvis appeared on TV for the first time. Wonder if he had your Wheat Penny in his pocket?
- In February of 1965, the first troops were sent to South Vietnam. Did one of our soldiers have your Wheatie in his pocket as a good luck charm from his family?
- In August of 1975, the Superdome officially opened with a game between the New Orleans Saints and the Houston Oilers. Was your Wheat Penny at that historic game?
- In May of 1985, 41 tornadoes hit the US & Canada. Did your Wheatie get tossed about in those storms, only to be found later and purchased by you?
- In March of 1995, Norman Thagard became the first American astronaut to ride into outer space aboard a Russian launched vehicle. Was your Wheat Cent in Norman's pocket traveling in outer space?
- In February 2005, Jeff Gordon won his 3rd Daytona 500. Did the Wheat Penny in your collection make a lap at Daytona in Jeff's pocket?
Even though all of these instances did happen in our history, you may think the possibilities are slim that a Wheat Penny in your collection could have been at any of these places mentioned. However, there is a very real possibility that the very Wheat Penny in your collection made one of these historic journeys and ended up with you!
Just a Jar of Pennies – Wheat Pennies!
We just had some discussion with a collector about where he finds most of his Wheat Pennies. "You would be surprised" he said...
He continued to tell us how every time he visits someone, he asks them if they have any jars of pennies sitting around. Most everyone keeps a jar of pennies somewhere in the house, so he's never shy to ask if he can go through them and look for "treasures"! Most are willing to let him take a look see, and he's even gracious enough to replace his finds with nickels or dimes!
Once he found 12 Wheat Pennies in a pretty good sized jar! Another time he found 3 in a small jar at another friends house.
Never be afraid to ask to look through that jar of pennies... you never know what treasure you may find!
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