1916 Wheat Penny Value: Price Chart by Grade & Mint

In 1916 the U.S. Mint struck about 190.3 million Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 131.8 million, Denver 36.0 million, San Francisco 22.5 million. That is 240% more than 1915. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 1916 ranks number 99 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is one of the lower-mintage dates of the series. The scarcest 1916 issue by mintage is San Francisco (22,510,000); the most common is Philadelphia (131,832,627). Within the 1910s, 1916 ranks 4 of 10 years for mintage; the decade's high was 1919 (588.9 million) and its low was 1915 (56.0 million). Mint by mint: Philadelphia rose 353% from 1915; Denver rose 63% from 1915; San Francisco rose 366% from 1915. Proof cents for collectors: 1,050 from Philadelphia.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 1916 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 1916 circulation cents are D (Denver) and S (San Francisco). Proof cents for 1916 were struck at Philadelphia with no mint mark; they have mirror-like fields and came from collector sets, not from circulation.

• From 1909 through mid-1918 the designer's initials do not appear on the obverse. If a coin dated in this range shows tiny V.D.B. letters at the cut-off of Lincoln's shoulder, it is not an original strike from that year.
• Wheat cents were struck in bronze (3.11 g) except for 1943. Genuine coins show a plain edge and a slightly lighter, more reddish colour than modern zinc cents when uncirculated; a brown, evenly worn coin is the normal state for this era and is not damage.
• True die doubling is rounded and separated; flat, shelf-like doubling is machine doubling and adds nothing. The mint marks guide has side-by-side examples.

PCGS Price Guide values for 1916 cents (updated September 24, 2026, U.S. dollars, for coins certified by PCGS):

• 1916: $1–$9 in circulated grades (G4 to XF40); $75 in MS63 RD and $375 in MS65 RD.
• 1916-D: $1–$26 in circulated grades (G4 to XF40); $260 in MS63 RD and $1,450 in MS65 RD.
• 1916-S: $3–$30 in circulated grades (G4 to XF40); $450 in MS63 RD and $8,500 in MS65 RD.

San Francisco is the lowest-mintage 1916 issue (22,510,000 struck), so it is the mint collectors check first. Guide prices assume a certified coin; an uncertified, worn 1916 cent usually sells for less than the lowest figure above, often a few cents in bulk wheat-cent lots. RD means full original red copper, RB red-brown, BN brown; the color grade can multiply the price. How grade and variety turn into a number is explained in what makes a coin valuable.