1958 Penny Value:No Mint Mark, D, Proofs and Doubled Dies

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Basics & coin story

The wheat-ear reverse introduced in 1909 reached its final regular year in 1958. The Lincoln Memorial reverse followed in 1959 for the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. A last-year design can interest collectors without making every specimen scarce. The portrait remained Lincoln, so the reverse is essential to recognizing the transition.

NGC links the lower 1958 production to the recession of that period, yet describes ordinary P and D coins as readily available in most grades. Saved uncirculated coins and surviving surface quality matter more than a last-year label alone. The wheat penny series guide places this date in the full design chronology.

Identification

Read the date, the letter and the wheat reverse

Check all four digits and the small D, if present, below the date. No letter is normal for Philadelphia. Confirm two wheat ears around ONE CENT. A Memorial or shield reverse is not the normal matching reverse for a 1958 cent, and there is no regular 1958-S circulation issue in the checklist.

Do not confuse ordinary color with a grade

Brown, Red-Brown and Red describe retained copper color. Mint State describes no circulation wear; polishing does not restore original Red status. Examine the cheek, jaw, fields and wheat stalks for rubbing, marks, spots and altered surfaces before comparing an uncirculated price.

The important doubled die is not any doubled-looking date

PCGS catalogs the rare Philadelphia doubled-die obverse with strong diagnostic doubling, notably in LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST. Match the whole attribution and supporting die markers. Mechanical displacement, reflection or a blurred image is not equivalent, and an odd digit alone does not establish the variety.

Condition & value

Amounts are in U.S. dollars. The final column gives each source row’s update date (month/day/year), separate from the access date of November 13, 2026. Published guides are reference estimates, not guaranteed buying offers or seller net proceeds. Obtain recent like-for-like completed comparisons for an actual transaction.

MS means Mint State. The ordinary table uses Brown (BN) copper entries; Red-Brown (RB), Red (RD), Proofs and attributed varieties are separate.

Use the ordinary table before a headline result

The Brown MS63 references are $1.50 for either mint and MS65 references $5. Original Red coins have different rows, and exceptional-grade demand is a distinct market. Do not average a rare-variety auction result and a common-cent guide figure into one apparent range.

Proof manufacture is separate from the empty mint-mark position

Both Philadelphia circulation coins and Proofs have no letter. NGC’s ordinary Red Proof guide, updated May 19, 2025, lists Proof 65 at $25 and Proof 66 at $35. These exclude special contrast designations and are guide references rather than new sales. Shine alone cannot prove manufacture.

Leave overdate and error claims unassigned until supported

NGC notes that what was once described as a 1958/7 overdate is now regarded as a die flaw. Do not promote an unclear numeral into an overdate premium. Check surface alterations, preserve the coin and seek an attribution when specific diagnostics warrant one.

Photograph both faces under even light and record the visible date and mint mark. HeriBase can help organize an initial photo-based identification; verify important mint, finish and variety details against the references before using a price. An app result is not a certified grade, authentication or purchase offer.

Summary

FAQ

References