1942 Wheat Penny Value: Price Chart by Grade & Mint

In 1942 the U.S. Mint struck about 950.1 million Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 657.8 million, Denver 206.7 million, San Francisco 85.6 million. That is 14% fewer than 1941. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 1942 ranks number 79 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is a mid-range date for availability. The scarcest 1942 issue by mintage is San Francisco (85,590,000); the most common is Philadelphia (657,796,000). Within the 1940s, 1942 ranks 6 of 10 years for mintage; the decade's high was 1944 (2.15 billion) and its low was 1949 (435.2 million). Mint by mint: Philadelphia fell 26% from 1941; Denver rose 61% from 1941; San Francisco fell 7% from 1941. Proof cents for collectors: 32,600 from Philadelphia.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 1942 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 1942 circulation cents are D (Denver) and S (San Francisco). Proof cents for 1942 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 1942 cents (updated September 24, 2026, U.S. dollars, for coins certified by PCGS):

• 1942: $5 in MS63 RD and $25 in MS65 RD.
• 1942-D: $6 in MS63 RD and $22 in MS65 RD.
• 1942-S: $14 in MS63 RD and $26 in MS65 RD.

The 1942 coins that bring real money are the varieties and errors:

• 1942 DDO, FS-101 (RB): $900 in MS63 up to $1,500 in MS64.
• 1942-S/S/S DDO & RPM FS-101/301 (RB): $100 in MS63 up to $350 in MS65.
• 1942-S/S RPM, FS-512 (RB): $200 in MS64.

San Francisco is the lowest-mintage 1942 issue (85,590,000 struck), so it is the mint collectors check first. Guide prices assume a certified coin; an uncertified, worn 1942 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.