At some point during that year, however, a few copper blanks made it into the minting process— and it is these “mistake” coins that are now being sold for amounts somewhere in the 5 and 6 figures. As mentioned, these 1943 copper wheat pennies must be in mint condition to net values in the $85,000 range. Pricing the 1945 Lincoln Penny. If you want to determine the value of a 1945 Lincoln, you must take into consideration a few different factors. For one, there were 3 different types of Lincoln pennies produced most years. Because the different coin types were produced in different quantities, the type plays into the value heavily. 1944-S Penny. The 1944-S penny saw a mintage of just 282,760,000 pieces. Although this San Francisco-minted penny is the lowest-mintage 1944 Lincoln wheat cent, it's still a highly common coin. Values for the 1944-S penny are: 5 to 15 cents (circulated) 90 cents and up (uncirculated) 1945 Penny