1945 Penny (Lincoln Cent): Mintage & What to Check

In 1945 the U.S. Mint struck about 1.49 billion Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 1.04 billion, Denver 266.3 million, San Francisco 181.8 million. That is 31% fewer than 1944. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 1945 ranks number 70 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is a mid-range date for availability. The scarcest 1945 issue by mintage is San Francisco (181,770,000); the most common is Philadelphia (1,040,515,000). Within the 1940s, 1945 ranks 3 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 27% from 1944; Denver fell 38% from 1944; San Francisco fell 36% from 1944.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 1945 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 1945 circulation cents are D (Denver) and S (San Francisco).

• 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.
• 1944 through 1946 cents were struck from recycled ammunition shell cases, a brass alloy without tin. They look like ordinary bronze cents. A 1944 cent that sticks to a magnet is a rare leftover steel planchet error and should be authenticated.
• 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.
• For any 1945 cent, check three things before anything else: that the date and mint mark are fully readable, that the surfaces have not been cleaned (unnatural brightness, fine parallel scratches), and whether any doubling on the lettering is true die doubling (rounded, separated) rather than flat machine doubling.

What a 1945 cent is worth depends on three things in this order: the variety (a recognised doubled die or transitional error is worth far more than a normal coin), the mint (San Francisco is the lowest-mintage 1945 issue), and the grade (an uncirculated coin with original red colour is a different market from a worn brown one). A normal, circulated 1945 cent from the most common mint is an available coin; published price guides from grading services list values by grade and variety, and they change over time. This page does not give prices. To get a reference range for the exact coin in your hand, photograph both sides in even light and let the app read the date, mint mark and visible varieties first.