1912-S Wheat Penny

The 1912-S Wheat Penny had a total mintage of just over 4.4 million from the San Francisco Mint. Typically, coins with a lower mintage like this S-mint coin would be saved in rolls due to their perceived value based on fewer being available, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with the 1912-S Wheat Penny. The 1912-S Wheat Penny is scarce in all grades and becomes rare and extremely rare the higher the Mint State grades go.

History of the 1912-S Wheat Penny

The 1912-S Wheat Penny has been known to have a somewhat soft strike. The color is also known to be a bit lighter than some of the coins from other Mints, possibly due to an off-alloy. The 1912-S Wheat Penny is well worth the effort to cherrypick through to make sure you find the best possible coin for your collection. The Wheat Penny was designed by Victor David Brenner. President Theodore Roosevelt wanted to prepare new coin designs that had more artistic merit. He chose Brenner based on a plaque he created with Lincoln’s profile. The Wheat Penny depicts a bust and profile of Abraham Lincoln on the obverse, with the S mintmark under the date. The reverse features two stalks of durum wheat.