There were three variations of the 1912 penny. They were the Philadelphia Mint, the Denver Mint, and the San Francisco Mint. As with the other pennies of the time they are composed of 95% copper and 5% zinc.
The 1912 Penny without a mint mark is the one that was produced in Philadelphia. There were 68,150,915 of these made. These are inexpensive copper coins and range in price from $1.00 to $5.00 in average circulated condition. The prices go up more as the penny becomes more pristine.
The 1912-D Penny was produced in Denver. There were 10,411,000 of these minted. The value of the 1912-D Penny ranges from $6.00 to $20.00. This price range is also what you average to decent condition copper pennies.
The 1912-S Penny was produced in San Francisco. There were 4,431,000 and the price will reflect the lower number that was produced. The value of the 1912-S Penny ranges from $15.00 to $40.00.
These copper wheat pennies have wheat ears on the back and a relief of Lincoln on the front. They are still found occasionally through routine monetary transactions. There are not a great number of error pennies available from this year.
Earlier wheat pennies include the 1909 Penny, the 1910 Penny, and the 1911 Penny. The 1912 copper cent is worth more than the 1910's and 11's but less than the 1909's. As with the other years the San Francisco Mint produced fewer coins and they are more expensive than either the Philadelphia or Denver Mints.
These coins are still in the price range to make them affordable to most collectors and can make an excellent gift if this one is not owned in a penny collectors set. Although these are not expensive they can be gotten for free if they are found in change when shopping. You will not find the uncirculated level of quality but there are still many good quality pennies available for people who pay attention and check their pockets.