1955 Lincoln Wheat Cent Proof
Proof struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 378,200 made
- Mintage
- 378,200
- Metal
- 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc
- Weight
- 3.11 g
- Diameter
- 19.05 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1955 Lincoln Wheat Cent Proof worth?
Even worn Wheat cents usually sell for a little more than face, because so many people collect them by date. Bright uncirculated coins with red color bring more. The exception is the 1955 Doubled Die Lincoln Cent, which collectors pay a large premium for.
What would make yours worth more:
- Grade and, for proofs, strong cameo contrast
- A known variety for the date: 1955 Doubled Die Lincoln Cent
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1955 Lincoln Wheat Cent Proof rare?
- Not especially. The Mint made 378,200 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1955 Lincoln Wheat Cent?
- On the obverse, directly below the date. Philadelphia cents have no mint mark.
- How many 1955 Lincoln Wheat Cent proofs were made?
- 378,200.
What to check on your 1955
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Look for the 1955 Doubled Die Lincoln Cent.
- Judge the grade under good light. Check the parallel lines in the wheat stalks, Lincoln's cheek and jaw, plus the hair above the ear. Uncirculated cents are also graded by color (RD, RB, BN) and full red coins are worth multiples of brown ones.
Proofs from 1955 come with and without frosted devices. Coins with strong contrast are labeled Cameo or Deep Cameo and are worth more.
The story of the 1955
Postwar bronze, the 1955 doubled die and the final wheat cents (1947 to 1958)
Bronze returned in 1947 and proof sets resumed in 1950. Postwar output kept climbing until Denver exceeded one billion cents for the first time in 1956. San Francisco struck its last wheat cents in 1955, ending S mint mark cents until 1968, which led many people to hoard the 1955-S.
The 1955 doubled die obverse is the most famous variety of this era. A misaligned hub impression doubled the date and lettering. Roughly 20,000 coins reached circulation, many through cigarette vending machines in New England. Also look for the 1956-D/D repunched mint mark and the rare 1958 doubled die obverse, with only a few known. The Lincoln Memorial reverse replaced the wheat ears in 1959, so 1958 was the last year of the wheat design. Uncirculated red coins from this era are abundant.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1955
Doubled hub impressions on one Philadelphia cent die produced the 1955 Doubled Die cent, one of the most famous US errors. It was also the last year San Francisco struck circulating cents until 1968.
How to recognize it
Abraham Lincoln faces right with IN GOD WE TRUST above, LIBERTY to the left and the date to the right. The mint mark, when there is one, sits below the date. The reverse has two ears of wheat framing ONE CENT and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, with E PLURIBUS UNUM across the top. The designer's initials V.D.B. appear on the reverse of some 1909 coins and on Lincoln's shoulder from 1918.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Lincoln Wheat Cent (1909–1958) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1955 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 378,200 |
| Face value | 1¢ |
| Composition | 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc (bronze) |
| Weight | 3.11 grams |
| Diameter | 19.05 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Victor David Brenner |
Other 1955 Lincoln Wheat Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 Lincoln Wheat Cent | 330,580,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1955 Lincoln Wheat Cent Proof | 378,200 | Proof | – |
| 1955-D Lincoln Wheat Cent | 563,257,500 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1955-S Lincoln Wheat Cent | 44,610,000 | Circulation strike | – |
Mintage: Lincoln cent mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.