Top 25 Most Valuable Lincoln Cents on eBay in May 2015

Saturday, 13 June 2015

Here at Coin Values, we look at the top 25 most valuable Lincoln cents selling on eBay each month. In the May 2015 eBay sales listings here, something most unusual has happened – a 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent doesn’t show up until eighth place, the lowest ranking yet on our Lincoln cent sales lists for that scarce and expensive coin!

If that sounds strange, then even stranger still is the fact that the rare 1914-D Lincoln cent key date didn’t make the top 25 cut at all. To make a trifecta of unusual occurrences for the top 25 list in May, the most expensive Lincoln cent on this list isn’t even rare a Lincoln wheat cent. It’s a Lincoln Memorial cent!

What follows is a rundown of the top 25 most valuable Lincoln cents that sold on eBay in May 2015. However, for clarification, here’s a look at the acronyms for the three coin grading companies that show up on the list:

PCGS = Professional Coin Grading Service
NGC = Numismatic Guaranty Corporation
ICG = Independent Coin Grading Service

#1 – 1973-S Lincoln Memorial Cent PCGS MS 67 Red, $7,500.00

When the most expensive Lincoln cent on this list is a modern coin, one would have to think that it’s one doozy of a rare coin indeed. This 1973-S Lincoln cent is certainly a tough bird… er, cent. In fact, PCGS lists only 4 as having been slabbed at this grade, with none grading higher according to the coin grading company. In other words, this piece represents the very best 1973-S business-strike Lincoln cent available in a PCGS slab.

#2 – 1955 Lincoln Wheat Cent Doubled Die PCGS MS 64 Red-Brown, $5,875.00

The 1955 doubled die Lincoln cent is one of the most famous error varieties and certainly one that penny enthusiasts want. This one features the red-brown surfaces that art typical of uncirculated versions of this coin.

#3 – 1955 Lincoln Wheat Cent Doubled Die PCGS MS 63 Red, $5,140.00

Here’s a particularly beautiful specimen of the 1955 doubled die Lincoln cent. While many 1955 doubled die pennies features chocolate brown or red-brown patinas, this one has a gorgeous red color. Certainly, this is the type of piece that most Lincoln cent collectors would pay a pretty penny for.

#4 – 1939-D Lincoln Wheat Cent NGC MS 68 Red, $4,500.00

Here’s a stunning Lincoln wheat cent – definitely one for registry set aficionados. This 1939-D Lincoln wheat cent looks virtually perfect to the naked eye and almost so under 5x magnification. For Lincoln cents of this vintage, one really can’t ask for better than this.

#5 – 1955 Doubled Die Lincoln Wheat Cent PCGS MS 64, $4,400.00

Here’s yet another 1955 doubled die Lincoln cent, though this one grades a handsome MS 64, which definitely makes this one of the better buys out there for penny collectors. Few 1955 doubled die Lincoln cents are found in better conditions than this one.

#6 – 1930-D Lincoln Wheat Cent PCGS MS 67 Red, $3,550.00

This registry set contender shines in all of its MS 67 Red glory. Coin collectors should bear in mind that pre-1933 mintmarked Lincoln cents are relatively rare in any of the mint state grades, and this one truly takes the cake in terms of quality and overall eye appal.

#7 – 1922 No-D Lincoln Wheat Cent PCGS AU 50 Brown CAC Designated, $3,500.00

1922 no-D (often called 1922 plain) Lincoln pennies are very scarce coins in any grade, but they are particularly difficult to find in grades above Fine, making this About Uncirculated piece truly exceptional. Coin collectors need to remember that the “real” 1922 plain cent has a weak obverse but strong reverse, so even in higher grades such as AU 50, a 1922 no-D will look “mushy” on the obverse.

#8 – 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent ICG MS 66 Red-Brown, $3,250.00

The 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent doesn’t show up on this list until all the way down to eighth place this month, but then at this point in the list it will appear three times in a row. This MS 66 Red-Brown specimen is the most expensive 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent showing up on this sales record list, crossing the eBay auction block at more than $3,200.

#9 – 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent PCGS MS 64+ Red, $2,950.00

Some coin collectors would fancy a lower-grade Red specimen of a 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent like this one rather than the Red-Brown cent listed above, and others wouldn’t. No matter – eBay buyers had their choice, with this nice Red specimen selling for just shy of $3,000.

# 10 (Tied) – 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent PCGS MS 65 Red-Brown, $2,850.00

The tenth place spot on this list is tied between this MS 65 Red-Brown 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent and a Red 1948 cent grading two points higher. This 1909-S VDB cent certainly excited a number of buyers, and at MS 65, it isn’t hard to understand why it attracted some attention on the online auction site.

#10 (Tied) –1948 Lincoln Wheat Cent NGC MS 67 Red, $2,850.00

There has been much registry set potential offered among the Lincoln cents on eBay in May, and this is yet another. This penny may be as expensive as a high-end 1909-S VDB cent, but this sparkling gem of a 1948 Lincoln penny is scarcer in every sense of the word.

And The Rest… Lincoln Cents Ranking From 12th Through 25th Most Expensive

The remainder of this list of most valuable Lincoln cents sold on eBay in May 2015 includes several more 1909-S VDB Lincoln cents (making up for the dearth of these pieces in the top 5 portion of this list) as well as several condition rarities.

#12. 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent PCGS MS 64 Red CAC Designated, $2,700.00

#13. 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent PCGS MS 64 Red CAC Designated, $2,675.00

#14. 1917-S Lincoln Wheat Cent ICGS MS 65 Red, $2,635.00

#15 (Tied) 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent PCGS MS 64 Red CAC Designated, $2,625.00

#15 (Tied) 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent NGC MS 65 Red-Brown CAC Designated, $2,625.00

#17. 1955 Doubled Die Lincoln Wheat Cent PCGS MS 62 Brown CAC Designated, $2,600.00

#18. 1917 Lincoln Wheat Cent PCGS MS 66+ Red CAC Designated, $2,550.00

#19. 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent PCGS MS 64 Red, $2,500.00

#20. 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent NGC MS 64 Red-Brown, $2,485.00

#21. 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent PCGS MS 64 Red, $2,425.00

#22. 1924-S Lincoln Wheat Cent PCGS MS 64 Red, $2,399.99

#23. 1913 Lincoln Wheat Cent PCGS Proof 66 Red-Brown, $2,310.00

#24. 1933-D Lincoln Wheat Cent NGC MS 67 Red, $2,300.00

#25. 1955 Doubled Die Lincoln Wheat Cent “Raw” Brilliant Uncirculated, $2,247.00

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Coin Sales Lincoln Cents

About the author

Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez

Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez is a freelance writer and author who has contributed hundreds of online articles and blog posts, as well as published Images of America, Tampa’s Carrollwood (Arcadia Publishing, 2013). Joshua is interested in a wide array of topics, and since 1992 has been heavily involved in numismatics, a topic about which he loves to research and write. His main area of focus is 19th and 20th century United States coins, but he also enjoys Canadian coins.