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The 1922 Plain Lincoln Wheat Cent is a penny that should not exist. Every Lincoln cent made that year came from the Denver Mint, yet a small batch left the presses with no D mintmark at all, fooling collectors for decades into thinking they had found a phantom Philadelphia issue.
That missing letter turned an ordinary penny into one of the most requested coins in American numismatics. If you have a 1922 cent sitting in a drawer, this is the year to look at it closely, because the difference between a common coin and a four-figure coin can come down to a mark smaller than a grain of rice.
What Is the 1922 Plain Lincoln Wheat Cent?
The 1922 Plain Lincoln Wheat Cent is the "No D" variety struck at the Denver Mint, where a worn or damaged die left the coin without its usual D mintmark. It is not a Philadelphia penny and it was never meant to look this way; it is the product of a die problem, not a planned design.
Victor D. Brenner designed the coin, the same artist behind every Lincoln cent since 1909. The 1922 cent is made from 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, weighs 3.11 grams, and measures 19.0 mm across with a plain edge. Collectors sort 1922 Denver pennies into three main groups based on how much of the mintmark survives:
1922 No D Strong Reverse: the true rarity, with a completely missing D and a sharp, well-struck reverse
1922 Weak D: a faint trace of the D is still visible, which usually lowers the value
1922 Weak Reverse: a softer overall strike, often paired with some mintmark evidence
Only the first type carries the reputation and the price tag that makes the 1922 Plain Lincoln Wheat Cent famous.
Why Does the 1922 Cent Have No Mintmark?
The missing D came from die damage and heavy polishing at the Denver Mint, not from a deliberate choice to leave it off. Mint workers sometimes ground down worn dies to extend their life, and on a handful of dies that grinding wiped out the small raised D along with any surface clash marks.
This is why specialists increasingly call it the 1922 No D cent instead of the older nickname "Plain cent." The newer name explains what actually happened: a die state problem, not a second mint quietly striking coins without a mark. If you want a deeper walk through the year's full lineup of die varieties, our earlier piece on the 1922 Lincoln Wheat Penny breaks down the differences side by side.
How Rare Is the 1922 Plain Lincoln Wheat Cent?
Around 15,000 examples of the 1922 No D cent are believed to survive across all grades, and the coin becomes dramatically scarcer once you move into mint state condition. Market estimates put the number of surviving examples graded MS60 or better at around 100 coins or fewer, and uncirculated brown pieces are counted only in the dozens.
15,000
Estimated surviving examples in all grades
100 or fewer
Estimated mint state (MS60+) survivors
Dozens
Uncirculated Brown pieces known to exist
For comparison, that mint-state scarcity rivals or beats some coins with far bigger reputations. It is one reason the 1922 Plain Lincoln Wheat Cent gets mentioned in the same breath as the 1955 doubled die cent, another coin where a die mistake turned pocket change into a five-figure collectible.
What Happened in 1922 That Made This Coin Possible?
1922 was the first year since 1815 that the Philadelphia Mint struck no Lincoln cents at all, leaving Denver as the sole source of that year's pennies. That single fact is what makes the No D variety so strange and so collectible: there was no other mint's coin to compare it to, so a Denver cent without a D briefly looked like it had come from nowhere.
1922 One-Cent Timeline
1815
Last prior year Philadelphia skipped cent production Philadelphia later resumed and struck cents almost every year afterward
1922
Denver becomes the sole source of Lincoln cents Some dies are polished so heavily the D mintmark disappears
1920s-1930s
Collectors notice "Plain" 1922 cents Coins are initially mistaken for a nonexistent Philadelphia strike
Present day
No D Strong Reverse recognized as key rarity Grading services separate strong, weak, and no-mintmark die states
How Much Is a 1922 Plain Lincoln Wheat Cent Worth?
Prices for the 1922 Plain Lincoln Wheat Cent range from a few hundred dollars for well-worn examples to well over $100,000 for the finest known mint-state pieces. Where a specific coin lands depends almost entirely on how clearly it shows the true No D Strong Reverse diagnostics and how much wear it carries.
Grade
Approximate Value
Good (G4) circulated
around $455
Very Good circulated
around $725
General circulated range
$500 to $2,000
Mint State (MS60 Brown)
around $10,000
Top grade (MS65 Red Brown)
around $150,000
Those numbers come from published market summaries and price guides, and actual sale prices move with the coin market and with how confident buyers are in the coin's die state. A coin that shows a clean No D and a strong reverse will always outprice a similar-looking coin with a soft strike or a faint mintmark ghost.
How Do You Identify a Real 1922 No D Cent?
Start by checking the space just below the date on the obverse, where the D would normally sit, and look for any trace of a raised letter under magnification. Then flip the coin over and check the reverse; a genuine No D Strong Reverse example should show sharp wheat stalks and lettering, not a soft, mushy strike.
How to Check a Suspected 1922 No D Cent
1
Confirm the date Make sure the coin reads 1922, since later Denver cents can have worn mintmarks that mimic the look
2
Inspect the mintmark area Use a loupe to check for any raised trace of a D below the date
3
Study the reverse A strong, sharp reverse supports the true No D variety; a weak reverse suggests a lesser die state
4
Compare against reference photos Cross-check with published die-state photos from major grading services
5
Get a professional opinion For anything beyond pocket change value, send the coin to a major grading service before you buy or sell
What Do People Get Wrong About the 1922 Plain Cent?
The biggest myth is that the coin came from the Philadelphia Mint, but every 1922 Lincoln cent, plain or not, was struck in Denver. Another common mistake is treating every no-mintmark 1922 penny as equally valuable, when in fact the Strong Reverse version is the real prize and weaker die states are worth much less.
"It's a Philadelphia penny" - false, since Denver struck all 1922 cents
"Every no-D 1922 cent is rare" - false, since strike quality and reverse detail set the real rarity apart
"The missing D was intentional" - false, it came from die wear and mint polishing
"A worn D counts as a No D" - false, any visible trace usually drops the value
Why Do Collectors Care So Much About This One Penny?
Collectors chase the 1922 Plain Lincoln Wheat Cent because it combines a genuine mint mistake, a one-year-only Denver-only story, and a real authentication puzzle in one small coin. It rewards careful study in a way that a common date coin never will, and finding one in an old jar of pennies is the kind of story every collector hopes to tell.
The coin also sits in a small club of "mistake coins" that outgrew their humble start, alongside pieces like the 1955 doubled die cent. If wheat cents from this era interest you more broadly, our guides on the 1916 Lincoln Wheat Cent and the 1911 Denver Lincoln cent cover other years where mintmarks and low production numbers drive strong demand.
Does the Copper in a 1922 Cent Add Any Melt Value?
The 1922 Lincoln cent's copper content adds almost nothing to its value compared to its collector price, since pre-1982 cents contain only a small amount of copper by weight and copper trades at a low price per pound rather than per ounce. At the time of writing, gold sits near $4,640 an ounce, silver near $68 an ounce, platinum near $1,838 an ounce, and palladium near $1,324 an ounce, but none of those figures apply to a 95% copper penny in any meaningful way.
This is worth saying plainly: nobody should melt a 1922 Plain Lincoln Wheat Cent for its metal. Even a heavily worn, unremarkable example is worth many times more as a collector coin than as scrap copper. If you want to track how spot prices move for the metals that do matter for melt value, our gold and silver price charts update regularly.
How Do You Buy or Sell a 1922 Plain Lincoln Wheat Cent Safely?
Buy only from sellers who can show clear photos of the mintmark area and reverse detail, and lean toward coins already reviewed by a major grading service when the asking price runs into the hundreds or thousands of dollars. Selling works the same way in reverse: a well-documented coin with a clear die-state story will always draw stronger offers than one sold as a mystery "plain" penny.
Because so much of this coin's value rides on a tiny detail that is easy to fake or misjudge, getting a second opinion before a big purchase or sale protects both sides of the deal. A dealer who works with numismatic coins regularly can help sort a strong candidate from a coin that just has ordinary wear.
If you're hunting for a genuine 1922 Plain Lincoln Wheat Cent or other early Lincoln varieties, take a look at our coins for sale, and if you've got old cents, wheat pennies, or any other coins you're looking to sell, you can mail them in or stop by our Salem, Oregon shop in person, whichever is easier for you - check our coin buying process for details either way.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a 1922 Plain Lincoln Wheat Cent?
It is the 1922 Denver-struck Lincoln cent where the D mintmark is missing or badly worn due to die damage, with the No D Strong Reverse version being the most valuable form.
How much is a 1922 No D penny worth?
Circulated pieces typically sell for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, while top mint-state examples have sold for around $150,000.
Was there ever a 1922 Philadelphia penny?
No, 1922 was the first year since 1815 that Philadelphia struck no Lincoln cents, so every 1922 cent came from Denver.
How can I tell if my 1922 penny is the true No D variety?
Check for a completely missing mintmark paired with a sharp, well-struck reverse, and have any valuable-looking example reviewed by a professional grading service before you buy or sell.
What does a 1922 Weak D penny mean?
It means a faint trace of the D mintmark is still visible, which usually makes the coin worth less than a true No D Strong Reverse example.
What is the metal content of a 1922 Lincoln Wheat Cent?
It is made from 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, weighs 3.11 grams, and measures 19.0 mm across.
Is the 1922 No D cent considered an error coin or a variety?
Most references describe it as a die variety or die state caused by wear and polishing at the Denver Mint, rather than a planned design change.
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