Up to this point, coin designers used only the first initial of their last name. Since the very beginning, the images on the penny have symbolized the spirit of the country. In addition to the doubling of wording, the date and "S" mint mark are also doubled. We've also rounded upthe most valuable US coins worth up to $10,633. All Rights Reserved. 1913-D Buffalo Nickel-Type 2. It will stick to a magnet. Out of all the leftover zinc-coated steel used in minting these pennies, Philadelphia produced about 30 of them. Initially, the government believed that these were counterfeit coins and began confiscating them. Counterfeits abound but usually have the wrong mint mark. There are still a lot of Lincoln pennies that are valuable that we don't define as still being in circulation because they were minted before 1950. Aug 2019 - AU53 $216,000. The high value of this coin is due to its uncirculated condition and its original copper-red color. Get ready its a long list! Stay up to date with everything about U.S Coins, We dont spam! If youre looking to purchase an 1857 Flying Eagle Penny for your coin collection, this is one of the cheaper dates, as long as youre okay with a lower grade of coin. 4. However, what is known for sure is that the 1922 no-D penny is quite scarce and in high demand among coin collectors. This Philadelphia-minted coin collected 66 bids online. The United States mint struck over 430 million of them. Below we unveil the most valuable circulated pennies worth up to $11,128, based on recently completed eBay listings. Although the 1909-S Indian Head Penny has a smaller mintage, more of them were saved in uncirculated condition. The 1958 Doubled-Die Obverse penny is one of the rarest pennies ever made. While there are very few guarantees in the rare coin industry, you can always count on nice, problem-free coins yielding better returns on your investment than coins that have been cleaned or have nicks, dents, scratches, and holes. The 1877 version has been said to be the rarest Indian head penny there is. . This 1999 S penny looks almost identical to the last one on this list, except, you guessed it, the A and the M are closer together. 1958 Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln Penny - About $336,000 The 1958 Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln Penny is one of the most valuable pennies in the world, considered as the holy grail by many coin collectors . Ive authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins (many of them with over 50K shares), and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below! Since most people do not look at the date on every coin that they receive in change, some of these 1943 bronze alloy pennies circulated for a while before being snatched up by an alert coin collector intent on cherry-picking the valuable Lincoln penny out of circulation. Want to know what the most valuable pennies are? The penny has been part of US currency almost as long as the country has been independent. Originally created as presentation pieces to show to members of Congress, other dignitaries, and even collectors, they eventually made their way into circulation over the years. This created an overnight sensation among coin collectors, and this penny has become known as the "Holy Grail" for collectors of Lincoln pennies. 14:59 1944 Steel Wheat Penny - $408,000; 14:07 1943 Copper Wheat Penny - $250,000; 13:21 1856 Flying Eagle Penny - $25,000; 12:35 1873 Indian Head Penny - $10,000;. Even for an example in a lowly grade of Good-4 on the Sheldon Grading Scale, 1856 Flying Eagle pennies are valued at about $7,000! Why It's Worth So Much: Created at the San Francisco Mint, this was a happy accident for collectors. 1877 Indian Head penny, $2,650 Unlike the first five pennies listed in this article, the 1877 Indian Head cent isnt any type of error or pattern coin. ships in penny sleeve, inside top loader, with extra protection. Roosevelt Dime, PR 8 1990 No S Lincoln Cent, PR 9 2000-P Cheerios Sacagawea Dollar, SP 10 See the complete TOP 100 list READ MORE The Top 100 Foreword By Ron Guth The modern coin era began in America in 1965, the first year the U.S. Mint produced copper-nickel "clad" coins as a replacement for silver coins, ending an unbroken, 173-year tradition. If the coin does stick to a magnet it will need to be certified. CoinTrackers.com is an invaluable resource dedicated to helping the coin collector and silver community. And which pennies you should be holding onto, rather than spending? Looking for the Most Valuable Pennies Ever Made regardless of date click the link. *This list of most valuable pennies refers to problem-free coins grading Extremely Fine-40 on the Sheldon Grading Scale. Im also the editor at the Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine), and author of Images of America: The United States Mint in Philadelphia (a book that explores the colorful history of the Philadelphia Mint). These factors make this a very rare and valuable penny indeed. The 1944 steel wheat penny is another instance of the United States Mint using the wrong planchet. An uncirculated example in its original mint state red color is extremely rare and valuable. Coins that are in higher grades, come under suspicion that they may have been helped by a mint employee. USA Coin Book has compiled a list of the most valuable US Quarters (Washington Quarters, America the Beautiful Park Quarters, 50 States Quarters, Standing Liberty Quarters, Barber Quarters, Seated Liberty, Draped Bust and Capped Bust Quarters) using a database of over 6,000+ coins and valuations. Im the Coin Editor here at TheFunTimesGuide. Slightly more than 4 million of them were minted. The 1943 pennies made of steel were officially a one-year-only production, as the mint switched back to a bronze alloy (95% copper and 5% tin) in 1944. What sets this special penny apart from the crowd is a doubling of the date, with a smaller set of digits appearing on top of the larger set. However, when the die used to stamp each penny became overused, this led to a batch of coins with either a very weak "D" marking or some in which the "D" was nonexistent. Be sure to check your change for this one! Coins are in order from Most to Least expensive. A 1944 Lincoln penny struck at the Denver, Colorado mint facility is nothing special. We offer reliable real coin melt conversions and hand written stats on each and every coin in our database. C $18.15 Free shipping 187 sold. Check out our penny price guides below. Most recent sales of the 1944 Zinc coated steel penny sales. If you are investing money in rare pennies, buy coins that are in the best condition you can afford, and always focus on purchasing coins that display original color and are in nice shape overall. Here's a list of the most valuable pennies out there to help you spot that one-of-a-kind gem. The lines "In God We Trust" and "Liberty" are both doubled as well as the 1955 date itself. That said, we realize that some people might still be using these pennies to buy things without realizing their value. Thecoin sold in the listingis the Sheldon-189 version. The machines from 1944 should have been dialed back from 1943 in an effort to preserve the dies longevity. The best known specimen as of late is an MS63 Brown (BN) and it has sold for more than $500,000. This coin is considered a key date in the series, and one of the more valuable non-error pennies. Because of their uniqueness, theyre remarkably valuable. Coins list is recomputed with each pricing update. Of the many variations D, S, P the Denver minted ones is possibly the rarest, and has as recently as 2021 sold for $840,000.00. But regardless, if you have one of these coins its fair to expect them to be quite valuable given the year it was minted. For instance, Denver only minted seven of the 1944 steel pennies, making it the second rarest mint mark out of all three mints. The 1969-S (San Francisco Mint) is no exception, and its not only one of the most expensive small cents, but also the priciest among the Lincoln Memorial series. This wheat cent is the only example known to exist. The top 100 penny stock listTop 10 Rare Canadian Pennies! In 2006, an MS67RD graded coin (pictured left) sold for $97,750. This is one of the most desirable coins in the Indian Head cent series as it has the second lowest mintage making it extremely rare. The 8 over 7 is the most valuable of the three types. Nostomania's 100 Most Valuable U.S. If you think you might be in possession of this rare error here are the steps you should take. Estimated coin prices and values in our database are updated twice per year. 1922 No D plain Lincoln Wheat Penny, $2,050 Repairs to a damaged coin die left the 1922-D cent without any visible trace of its mint mark, leaving a coin that many thought back in the mid 1920s was a typical unmarked penny from the Philadelphia Mint. Additionally, it was extremely well-struck, as evidenced by the minutest details present on the coin. Are you wondering what your penny is worth? Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. We have discounted proof coins, error coins, as well as any special strikes, to create a clean list of pennies you have a higher probability of finding from the current pool of circulating United States currency. What makes this coin extremely valuable is the fact that it was struck on a zinc-coated steel planchet. The ever popular Lincoln wheat penny was first produced by the U.S. Mint in 1909. Well here you go a list of the most valuable pennies, each worth more than $1 apiece! These are the ones you want in your collection, 1856 Flying Eagle Penny: $25,000-$170,000, 1943 Copper Wheat Penny: $85,000-$370,000, 1944 Steel Wheat Penny: $110,000-$180,000. But the move needed Congressional approval, so the mint produced a batch of about 800 of the new pennies and presented them to the lawmakers. A.) Sold: October 2011; Heritage Auctions, Pittsburgh, PA, Signature Auction. However, newspaper reporters had an issue with the placement of the initials, which were located on the bottom of the reverse side of the coin, according to Professional Coin Grading Service president Ron Gruth. In the close "AM" variety, the "FG" is closer to the building. Minted in Denver, USA Coin Book estimated the value of this rare 1914 penny at $278 in average condition and over $3,000 in uncirculated mint condition. Just a few leftover copper penny planchets from the early 1940s were accidentally used to create 1943 Copper Pennies. The coins - of which there are about 40 or50 in existence- are quite valuable. Only 1,194 of these proof coins were struck at the Philadelphia mint before the Treasury Department dictated that the designer's initials be removed from the coin. By the end of the 1950s, they had become a hot coin collector item and remain so to this day. Many citizens hoarded gold, silver, and copper coins as a store of wealth. For this list, we are only including small cents: Flying Eagle Cents, Indian Head Pennies, Lincoln Wheat Pennies, Lincoln Memorial Cents, and Lincoln Shield Cents. The TOP 25 Most Valuable Pennies. Most ammunition consists of a copper or brass (copper/zinc) casing, filled with gunpowder, and capped with a lead, copper or steel bullet. Most of them pulled the coins out of circulation. Are you concerned the precious metals train has left the station without you. We will notify you each week there's a new article posted! This example is not only uncirculated, but it is extremely well preserved and shows a minimal amount of bag marks from the minting process. The other variety of this rare penny stamped the letters closer together, nearly touching. Beginning approximately halfway through the mintage of 1864 pennies, an "L" was added to the tail of the ribbon in the war bonnet on Lady Liberty's head. Top 100 Most Expensive Coins in the World World Numismatic News 121K subscribers Subscribe 3.2K Share 186K views 1 year ago To celebrate reaching 100 000 Subscribers, here is a video looking at. These steel planchets were used primarily in 1943. Image: USA CoinBook. The close "AM" version is the more valuable penny of the two. USA Coin Book estimated the value of this expensive penny at $917 in just average condition, but it could be worth almost $2,000 in tip-top shape. This is an indication that they were not "helped" by some unscrupulous mint employee. What makes this coin extremely rare is its exceptional condition that combines a nearly flawless coin with a sharp strike from a fresh set of coin dies. Carefully hold a magnet over the coin and see if you get any reaction. This is an easy way to build a collection, and all it takes is time. These rare examples can fetch up to $375,000 in excellent condition, according to Coin Trackers. Brenner added his initials V.D.B. The 1995 Double Die Obverse Lincoln Memorial Cent became a rare penny (and a valuable collector's item) after a doubling error occurred. Sold: September 2010; Legend Numismatics, Private Sale. Some of these rare pennies feature 16th PresidentAbraham Lincoln. According toCoinTrackers, just 850,000 of these rare pennies were minted. The majority of these coins are Denver and Philadelphia issue coins, and all have been issued within the last 55 years. These coins look like an ordinary penny despite the fact the color is not copper and is much closer to the coloring of a dime. The mint mark is a smaller letter on the face of the coin underneath the year that signifies where it was minted. The 6 Most Common Valuable Coins 01 of 10 1969-S Lincoln Cent With a Doubled Die Obverse Heritage Auction Galleries This coin is exceedingly rare. In 1877, the economic slump that began in 1873 continued with full force. A coin from the late 1700s has alsosold for more than $6,000. The 1922 Lincoln Wheat Cents were minted at the Denver Mint using a "D" lettered coin die. Sold: February 2016; Heritage Auctions, Long Beach, CA, US Coins Signature Auction. Similar to the other 1944 pennies mentioned here, there were only two San Francisco-minted steel pennies produced in 1944. To hold an 1877 Indian Head Penny in uncirculated condition is an extreme rarity given the poor economic conditions of that year. Why so few? The difference between this 1873 penny and the closed 3 listed above is the way the serifed ends of the 3 come near the middle of the digit. to the coin's reverse, at the bottom between the two stalks of wheat. As a collector, you eventually reach the point where you need to purchase your coins from a coin dealer or at auction to achieve the quality you want. The penny dates listed below are worth more than just a few cents(unlike most of the ones referenced above). This is definitely one of the most valuable pennies in circulation, fetching prices as high as $500 in mint state condition. Coins in this condition are few and far between and are truly treasures to behold. Click coin image to view full-size image. In 2006, an MS66 graded coins sold for $32,200. The most exciting thing is you can find some of these rare, valuable pennies easily because they're still in circulation. Experts claim that plates of this metal were slipped in during the minting by . This page is a work in progress, share to social media and check back later for updates. The 1999 S Lincoln Memorial Cent was minted in San Francisco in two different varieties. Any one of these coins in circulated or uncirculated condition is extremely rare. In 2004, an MS66 graded coin sold for $172,500. Whatever the origin of the 1943 copper pennies, they are considered by the Professional Coin Grading Service to be the most desirable and valuable of all Mint errors and are highly sought-after by U.S. coin collectors. Take, for instance, the popular 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent. YOU'VE likely come across plenty of pennies in your life but rare ones from the 1900s and before then are selling for a ton of cash online. Image courtesy of He later sold it for$126,500. Oops, there was an error sending your message. Most Valuable Coins by Type. My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. Free shipping . If you have a rare variety, it will have a small space between the letters A and M in "AMERICA." Value. While the front of the 1983 Lincoln Memorial Cent looks perfectly ordinary, the back might have a particularly lucrative error. The 1877 Indian Head Cent is considered a major key date in the series, with a mintage of only 850,000 these can be hard to find in good condition, and nearly impossible to find in uncirculated condition. This coin was heavily circulated and was commonly subjected to the widespread use of "penny boards" in the 1930s and 40s, which people use to collect coins from circulation. However, the financial hardship of the time (including the economic downturn following the "Panic of 1873") meant that few people were able to save coins for their collections. Most Valuable Canadian Pennies, 1. Our most valuable pennies list includes coins starting in 1856 up to the present (2023) - including rare penny errors and rare varieties that could still actually be found in pocket change. In 2021, an MS65 RB graded coin (pictured left) sold for $66,000. What follows are the 11 through 25th most valuable pennies: 1917 doubled die Lincoln Wheat Penny, $1,350, 1972 doubled die obverse Lincoln Memorial penny, $290, 1909-S/S over horizontal S Lincoln Wheat Penny, $275. You should follow us on Facebook too, we occasionally run contests on our page!). In 1944 all pennies were meant to be made from copper / bronze not steel. In the case of this rare 1917 penny, the words "In God We Trust" are doubled. List only contains coins from 1965 to 2023. It is the most valuable Lincoln penny in the world. Which coins currently in circulation are worth the most? A 1931-S could be worth $40 or more. Most recent sales of the 1943 Copper Penny. 1944-S copper Lincoln cent: 283 million minted, worth between 3 and 5 cents 1944-D over S copper Lincoln cent: worth $100 or more 1944 steel penny: 15 - 20 minted, worth $100,000 or more 1951 Wheat Penny Value Over 1 billion wheat pennies were struck in 1951. Victor David Brenner created the design under the auspices of President Theodore Roosevelt. For this list, we are only including small cents: Flying Eagle Cents, Indian Head Pennies, Lincoln Wheat Pennies, Lincoln Memorial Cents, and Lincoln Shield Cents. It is estimated that only 5 million of these coins were made, and very few of them were saved in uncirculated condition. It also rightly excludes Proof Coins, Special Issues, Commemoratives, and the like. And some coins are made more valuable simply by being unintentional, as with the 1943 Lincoln pennies that were mistakenly made with bronze rather than steel. It may be worth taking a look, because many of the most valuable pennies on this list were made in the 20th century. But, of course, rarity is a significant factor in determining a penny's worth. CoinTrackers.com is an invaluable resource dedicated to helping the coin collector and silver community. Sold: August 2008; Heritage Auctions, Baltimore, MD, ANA US Coin Signature Auction. In addition, we are NOT factoring in the prices for Proof versions of these pennies (unless the Proof version is an error coin or an unusual variety). Legend Rare Coin Auctions. Coins are in order from Most to Least expensive. In 1943, pennies were made from steel planchets coated with zinc, but some copper planchets from the year before were left behind, and the coins were struck on those. By checking this box, I agree to recieving email and phone communication about blog posts, coins, and coin related products from Coin Collecting or their trusted partners. What It's Worth: $185,000, butsold for $1 million to Bob R. Simpson, co-chairman of the Texas Rangers, in 2012. Also try the Interactive, sortable, searchable pennies page. Real Experiences. In 1864, the Civil War was dragging on, and the United States economy was extremely fragile. On the surface, there is nothing visually spectacular about this coin. This coin features the same proof die reverse as the 1998 wide AM coin. B.) Such is the story of the 1969-S Doubled Die Penny. Its also one of my favorite coins! Bottom line: OK, we'll admit it. There are a few different varieties of the 1873 Indian Cents, with all of them being rare and quite valuable, theres the open 3, and the closed 3, but the most valuable is the doubled Liberty. Die penny to the coin 's a new article posted `` helped '' by unscrupulous!, Pittsburgh, PA, Signature Auction, because many of the 1969-S doubled die penny at. 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Will notify you each week there 's a list of the rarest Indian Head penny a..., ANA US coin Signature Auction very beginning, the economic slump that began in 1873 continued with force... Has a smaller mintage, more of them were saved in uncirculated condition is an indication that they have... You might be in possession of this coin is considered a key date in the case of this coin due... 1944 Zinc coated steel penny sales some unscrupulous mint employee ( BN ) and it has sold for than! Issues, Commemoratives, and the like the 1999 S Lincoln Memorial cent looks perfectly ordinary, top 100 valuable pennies popular VDB... ( BN ) and it has sold for more than $ 6,000 Lincoln penny...
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