What To Look For/Prices For BU Lincoln Wheat Cents

This is a pretty difficult question to answer because so much is dependent on the grade of the coin. My experience is that what tends to be in those boxes are coins in the 62-64 range. 65's and 66's usually warrant individual display as upper end coins. I'd look for attractive examples that are free of carbon spotting or major blemishes. Talking total ballpark pricing here, but I'd be looking for prices in the $5-10 range for early forties, $3-5 for later forties and early 50's and $2-3 for later 50's.

Late wheats are plentiful, meaning 40's and 50's. Look for well struck, problem free coins with good eye appeal. Personally I would rather have an MS64 brown, well struck, without spots, stains, than a 64 red with a soft strike or carbon spots. Anything that catches your eye quickly as a negative, just move on to another coin. Spots to check for strike on the reverse are the wheat ears (one side is sometimes stuck softer, usually the left), and the "O" in ONE CENT. On the obverse, Lincoln's shoulder is usually not fully struck, leaving some "chatter". Also, as stated earlier, these dies were overused, leading to die chips, cracks, and worn dies. Sometimes they are interesting, and people buy them because of the die cracks. You can decide, but knowing what you are looking at will help you decide what you want your collection to look like. Be picky, and Enjoy the hunt!