1947 Wheat Penny Value: Price Chart by Grade & Mint

In 1947 the U.S. Mint struck about 484.3 million Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 190.6 million, Denver 194.8 million, San Francisco 99.0 million. That is 68% fewer than 1946. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 1947 ranks number 85 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is one of the lower-mintage dates of the series. The scarcest 1947 issue by mintage is San Francisco (99,000,000); the most common is Denver (194,750,000). Within the 1940s, 1947 ranks 9 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 81% from 1946; Denver fell 38% from 1946; San Francisco fell 50% from 1946.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 1947 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 1947 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.
• 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.
• Before anything else, confirm the date and mint mark are fully readable and that the surfaces have not been cleaned; the dates and mint marks guide shows what cleaning and machine doubling look like.

PCGS Price Guide values for 1947 cents (updated September 24, 2026, U.S. dollars, for coins certified by PCGS):

• 1947: $10 in MS63 RD and $20 in MS65 RD.
• 1947-D: $11 in MS63 RD and $18 in MS65 RD.
• 1947-S: $8 in MS63 RD and $24 in MS65 RD.

San Francisco is the lowest-mintage 1947 issue (99,000,000 struck), so it is the mint collectors check first. Guide prices assume a certified coin; an uncertified, worn 1947 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.

A worn 1947 cent is worth very little. JM Bullion's value chart, based on the Red Book (checked September 25, 2026), lists 1947 and 1947-D at $0.20 in Extremely Fine and $0.40 uncirculated, and 1947-S at $0.25 and $0.50; it gives no figure for Good or Fine. So a brown, worn 1947 penny from any mint is typically a few cents.

The money is in full-red coins at the top of the scale. PCGS Price Guide values (September 24, 2026):

• 1947: $100 in MS66 RD, $2,250 in MS67 RD.
• 1947-D: $35 in MS66 RD, $350 in MS67 RD, $9,000 in MS68 RD.
• 1947-S: $32 in MS66 RD, $175 in MS67 RD, $27,000 in MS68 RD.

The 1947-S in MS68 RD is the one 1947 cent that lists above $20,000. Each step from MS66 to MS68 multiplies the price, so a professional grade matters more than the mint mark.

The PCGS Price Guide (September 24, 2026) lists no separate variety for any 1947 cent, and the JM Bullion page we checked names none either. A 1947-S is a normal San Francisco coin, the lowest-mintage issue of the year at 99,000,000. Coins sold online as 1947-S errors are usually one-off strike faults such as off-centre strikes or clipped planchets; those have no fixed price and are valued one at a time, so ask a grading service before paying a premium.