Is a 1945 Penny Worth Anything?

The 1945 “wheat” penny carries a worth, in June 2014, ranging from about 5 cents for a circulated coin to nearly $2.00 for a perfect uncirculated coin, according to USA Coin Book. The U.S. cents called “wheat” pennies depict two wheat ears on the reverse. Lincoln appears on the front.

With a face value of 1 cent, the 1945 wheat penny was minted in Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco, states Coin Values, and over 1 billion coins were produced that year. The pennies from 1944, 1945 and 1946 are unique in that they were made from recycled WWII shell casings, so they consist of 95 percent copper, 5 percent zinc and no tin. The U.S. minted wheat pennies from 1909 to 1958.