1936 Wheat Penny Value: Price Chart by Grade & Mint

In 1936 the U.S. Mint struck about 379.4 million Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 309.6 million, Denver 40.6 million, San Francisco 29.1 million. That is 15% more than 1935. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 1936 ranks number 91 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is one of the lower-mintage dates of the series. The scarcest 1936 issue by mintage is San Francisco (29,130,000); the most common is Philadelphia (309,632,000). Within the 1930s, 1936 ranks 3 of 10 years for mintage; the decade's high was 1937 (394.1 million) and its low was 1932 (19.6 million). Mint by mint: Philadelphia rose 26% from 1935; Denver fell 14% from 1935; San Francisco fell 25% from 1935. Proof cents for collectors: 5,569 from Philadelphia.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 1936 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 1936 circulation cents are D (Denver) and S (San Francisco). Proof cents for 1936 were struck at Philadelphia with no mint mark; they have mirror-like fields and came from collector sets, not from circulation.

• From 1918 onward the initials V.D.B. sit in tiny letters on the truncation of Lincoln's shoulder on the obverse. They are normal and do not add value; they are simply a way to confirm the coin's era.
• 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.
• Rule out cleaning (unnatural brightness, fine parallel scratches) and flat machine doubling before you call anything a variety; see how to read dates and mint marks.

PCGS Price Guide values for 1936 cents (updated September 24, 2026, U.S. dollars, for coins certified by PCGS):

• 1936: $2–$4 in circulated grades (G4 to XF40); $14 in MS63 RD and $26 in MS65 RD.
• 1936-D: $14 in MS63 RD and $26 in MS65 RD.
• 1936-S: $15 in MS63 RD and $32 in MS65 RD.

The 1936 coins that bring real money are the varieties and errors:

• 1936 Doubled Die Obverse, Type 1 (RD): $3,000 in MS63 up to $48,000 in MS67.
• 1936 DDO FS-102 (RD): $375 in MS60 up to $3,850 in MS66.
• 1936 Doubled Die Obverse, Type 2 (RD): $350 in MS60 up to $3,800 in MS66.
• 1936 DDO, FS-103 (RD): $165 in MS60 up to $3,600 in MS67.

San Francisco is the lowest-mintage 1936 issue (29,130,000 struck), so it is the mint collectors check first. Guide prices assume a certified coin; an uncertified, worn 1936 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.