What is a penny with one cent on the back called?

Answer 1

If you look at the coins in your pocket you'll find that EVERY American "penny" has the words ONE CENT on the back. That's because the coin that we all call a "penny" is actually a one-cent piece. The word "penny" is a slang use left over from the days when the US was a British colony and there were copper coins that really were called pennies.

But if your coin has the words ONE CENT between 2 things that look like feathers it's a design called a "wheat cent" that was minted from 1909 to 1958. The two feather-like things are actually wheat ears and were meant to symbolize the country's agricultural power.

If that's what you have, depending on the date it might be worth anywhere from a couple of cents to many hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Please type the question "What is the value of a <date> US cent?" into the box next to the word GO at the top of the page, and make sure to put the actual date of your coin where my post just says "<date>".