The metal composition of the wheat penny had been changed in 1943, from copper to steel coated in zinc. The 1946 penny was the last of the wartime issues of the coin. The bicentenary of Lincoln’s birth in 1909 led to calls for this to change, and for the former president to be honored on the nation’s coinage. Previous coins had depicted Lady Liberty in various forms on the obverse. The Lincoln penny was the first to bear an image of a real person. It was the same design that had been used since Lincoln pennies were first minted back in 1909. It got its name from the reverse (the “tails” side) of the coin, which showed an image of two ears of wheat. The penny struck in 1946 was one of those known as the “wheat penny”. *Values shown are for coins graded red (RD). Ready? Let’s get started! 1946 Wheat Penny Value Chart
Read on to learn more about the 1946 wheat penny value, its history, and some of the interesting – and valuable – error coins out there. We’re going to look at just one of its mintages: 1946. It was the original form of the Lincoln penny, one of the longest running coins in the world. The wheat penny gets its name from the design on the reverse, two ears of wheat.