2009 Penny Value: How Much Is It Worth Today?

The 2009 Penny value is often every collector’s interest when looking to purchase this iconic coin. The year 2009 was unique for collectors as the US mint made four different designs for the coin’s reverse to commemorate Lincoln’s 200th anniversary; it was called the “Lincoln bicentennial cent”.

Interestingly, each reverse design of this coin depicted different moments of Lincoln’s life. So, you may wonder what these coins are worth today. Here’s a breakdown of the 2009 Lincoln penny value.

2009 Penny Details

• Category: Lincoln Penny
• Mints: Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco
• Total Mintage: Over 2.3 billion
• Face Value: $0.01
• Observe Designer: Victor D Brenner
• Reverse Designers: Richard Masters, Charles Vickers, Joseph Menna, Susan Gamble, Joel Iskowitz, Don Everhart, and Jim Licaretz
• Edge: Plain
• Shape: Round
• Diameter: 19mm
• Weight: 2.5 grams
• Composition: 97.5% Zinc, 2.5% copper

2009 Penny Value Chart

Mint Mark	Good	Fine	Extra fine	Uncirculated
2009 Lincoln Early Childhood	$8	$13	$45	$230
2009 “D” Lincoln Early Childhood	$8	$13	$45	$450
2009 “S” Lincoln Early Childhood	$7	$14	$45	$150

2009 No Mint Mark Lincoln Penny

The Philadelphia mint had 1.1 billion pennies struck in 2009, covering the four reverse designs. The designs depict Lincoln’s birth, formative years, professional life, and presidency. So, the Philadelphia mint struck 284,400,000 Birth and Early childhood, 376 million formative years, 316 million professional years, and 129 presidency pennies.

The abundant production of the Philadelphia coin undoubtedly led to the coin’s popularity. So, it is easy to find and purchase a circulated coin in any of the four designs at a considerably reasonable price. However, uncirculated coins are rare and worth more. So, these coins’ quality and condition determine their worth and rarity.

For instance, a 2009 P Lincoln penny costs about $5 to $7 at MS 63 in the four designs. However, this price might differ when reaching higher grades, such as MS67. For instance, while an uncirculated 2009 P Early childhood penny at MS67 is about $225, a 2009 P presidency penny is worth $135 in the same grade. Likewise, a professional life design in MS 67 is worth more than the others reaching about $300 but still is less than the 2009 P formative years reverse design which is up to $375. These coins are easily identifiable as they are the only 2009 Pennies without a mint mark.

2009 – D Lincoln Penny Value

These coins were minted at Denver in over 1.2 billion quantities surpassing that of the Philadelphia mint. And like the 2009 P penny, they were produced in four designs with a mint mark, “D”, which can be seen under the year of minting on the coin’s obverse. Yet, despite having a higher quantity than the Philadelphia coins, their prices are similar.

A coin in MS 65 is worth $5 to $7, in any of the reverse designs, but these different designs have different values in high grades like MS 67. Meanwhile, the 2009 D Formative year’s penny is the cheapest in this grade, with $180, while the early, childhood, and professional life designs cost $450 and $725 in MS 67. And the presidential penny cost around $6000 in MS 68.

These coins are easy to find and are, in fact, popular in coin markets but majorly at lower grades and conditions. So, it depends on your budget and what you’re looking to buy.

2009 – S Lincoln Value

Unlike the two other varieties, the coins minted in San Francisco were only proof coins, and in just about 2.9 million mintages, which is low compared to the others. Thus, they were not business struck, which means they were minted primarily for collectors. In addition, one thing that sets them apart from the other varieties is that they were struck with a better finish in the fields and with frosted elements. Because of this, these coins were kept in safe plastic cases to preserve their excellent condition.

However, 2009 S Pennies aren’t rare which means they are not more hugely valuable than the other varieties. They can be found in PR67 DCAM for around $7 to $14 but differ per reverse design between $140 and $200 in PR70.

2009 Satin Finish Lincoln Penny

Besides the three formal varieties, each mint facility produced a special strike coin that had a satin finish. Only 784,614 of these coins were minted in 2009 as a part of the year’s uncirculated set. The coin was created with a special burnished die to give the coin a satin Finish.

Again, the prices of these coins differ by their design and grade. For example, a 2009 Satin Finish in the early childhood design in MS 69 cost about $60, but this coin in the formative years graded at MS 68, the finest known one, is worth about $3,500. Meanwhile, a 2009 Lincoln special strike coin was sold in 2011 for less than $300 at SP69.

History of the 2009 Penny

The Lincoln cent was first minted in 1909 to commemorate Lincoln’s 100th birthday, and it was the first coin to have a portrait of a real person. Roosevelt, the then-American president, engaged sculptor Victor David Brenner to design the cent in 1908.

David Brenner’s reverse design of the Lincoln cent was changed in 2009 to celebrate Lincoln’s 200^th Birthday and showed different periods of his life. But the coin’s reverse was left unchanged. The US mint released each penny one after the other with about a three-month margin between them. Here are the four reverse designs minted in 2009.

• Birth and Early Childhood in Kentucky (1809 – 1816)

The first reverse design features a log cabin representing Lincoln’s early life as he was born and raised in a log cabin in Kentucky. This iconic design was made by Richard Masters and was duly appreciated as one that portrayed the picture of a realistic log cabin in America. Based on this design by Jim Licaretz, a sculptor-engraver in the US, mint sculpted the coin dies. At a special ceremony, the coin was released into circulation on February 12, 2009, which was Lincoln’s Birthday.

• Formative Years in Indiana (1816 – 1830)

The second design represents Lincoln’s youth as a rail splitter in Indiana, where he worked. The image on the coin’s reverse shows Lincoln reading a book while taking a break from his work of rail splitting.

The coin was designed and sculpted by Charles Vickers, which is a graceful image of young Lincoln as he reads. However, this coin has several varieties, some depicting a shadow by Lincoln’s fingers and others showing other fingers on Lincoln’s hands. These varieties may differ in price but are relatively easy to get. The coin was released into circulation on May 14, 2009.

• Professional Life in Illinois (1830 – 1861)

Lincoln had most of his professional life as a lawyer and politician in Illinois, so this coin represents that period. It shows a Lincoln in front of the Illinois state capitol building in Springfield, where Lincoln gave a speech back in 1858 after he got nominated for the US senate on the Republican ticket. This speech was a significant moment in Lincoln’s political career. The coin was Designed by Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by Don Everhart, a US sculptor-engraver. It was released into circulation in August 2009.

• Presidency in Washington, DC (1861 – 1865)

This was the final reverse design released by the US mint and sparked speculation concerning the coin’s design. This was because different images could represent Lincoln’s life as a president. However, the design half-finished capitol dome was chosen because it symbolized Lincoln’s challenges during his years of presidency. Susan Gamble created the design, and Engraver Joseph Menna sculpted the penny. It was released into circulation on November 12, 2009.

2009 Penny Grading

Coin grading companies use the Sheldon grading scale to grade coins to determine their values. Coins are graded from poor to mint state and good to uncirculated. These grades are the basis on which each coin is priced. Here’s how the grading system works:

• Uncirculated: A coin in this grade is almost perfect, and all the details on the coin are bold. Also, the coin’s field is bright, and the luster is intact. This coin is sold at a relatively high price.
• Extra fine: This coin has undergone some wear but may only be visible if you look closely. However, the details on the coin are still evident, and it still maintains the perfect color.
• Fine: In this grade, the coin has incurred obvious damage to certain areas, including curls on Lincoln’s head flattening and blending with the forehead and years.
• Good: The coin has gone hand in hand in the coin market a lot and now has a low condition with several damages making most of its elements scarcely visible.

Watch this video to find valuable pennies in different grades.

Rare 2009 Penny Error Lists

Given its high mintage, it is almost impossible not to have error coins among the 2009 Lincoln penny. However, you may call these errors blessings as some error coins are sold and valued more than the standard coin. Here are some examples of the 2009 penny error coin you may find:

1. 2009 Penny Doubled Die Error

This is the primary error with 2009 pennies. The coins are often double struck due to a damaged planchet, the feeder, or die. As a result, the coin comes out with a doubling effect in the lettering or image. And sometimes, these doubling may only be noticeable if viewed closely. But the catch is that the more visible the doubling is, the higher the coin is worth.

The doubling error can be found in Lincoln’s early years, which are very minute and, thus, not very valuable. The doubling is often found on the log cabin; you’d need to use a magnifier to see it. It is worth around $10. You can also find doubling errors on the Lincoln formative years on the fingers and professional life on the columns of the Capitol building. A doubling error in the formative years is worth about $5 to %50.

2. 2009 S Penny Misalignment Error

This 2009-S penny coin was horizontally misaligned, which made it have an uneven rim. It was sold for $345 at an auction graded in PF68.

Check out other rare 2009 error coins in this video.

FAQs

1. How Much Is A 2009 Penny Worth Today?

In an average grade like MS63 and MS 64, the 2009 Penny is worth between $7 and $15 but is worth in higher grades like MS69 and MS70, reaching up to $750 or more.

2. Why Is The 2009 Penny Rare?

Due to their high mintage and popularity, 2009 Pennies are easy to find in all four reverse designs. But this may not be true for high grades, which cost more and are rare.

3. What Are The 4 Different Reverse Designs of 2009 Pennies?

There are four reverse designs for the 2009 Lincoln pennies: Birth and Early childhood, formative years, professional life, and presidency.

Conclusion

The 2009 Lincoln pennies are interesting coins and a memorable year for the US mint and collectors. Each coin struck by the US mint always has a background story, but the 2009 pennies were iconic, with the story told in four different coin types. So regardless of the value, this coin is a gem to keep.