Dating back to 1909, the US Mint has been producing Lincoln pennies.
It’s possible that you may have one worth hundreds – or even thousands and not even know about it.
When looking through common places in your house such as coin jars, you’ll want to get familiar with key dates and errors.
Also, keep in mind that grade and condition can be a deciding factor in how much it could be worth.
Below we reveal what’s so special about a Lincoln penny that recently sold online for a total of $2,060 after 39 bids and how you could potentially find one as well.
What is the penny?
The penny was designed by sculptor Victor David Brenner.
On the reverse, you’ll notice that there are two ears of wheat, which was on all Lincoln pennies until 1958.
But most importantly, the coin features a famous error.
It is known as the 1955 double die penny.
This type of error refers to the doubling of elements.
When taking a look at the 1955 penny you’ll want to look for the duplicates of the “Liberty,” “In God We Trust,” as well as the date itself.
All of those elements can be found on the obverse of the coin.
How much is it worth?
If you happen to find a 1955 double die penny, consider yourself lucky because there’s a good chance it’ll be worth in the thousands.
USA Coin Book pegs the value of the piece at $1,318 in average condition and up to $17,057 in uncirculated grades.
The coin in the eBay listing was certified by authentication service CAC in an AU 50 grade, according to the seller.
AU stands for “about uncirculated.
Also, another buyer paid more than $2,200 for a 1955 Lincoln double die penny.
The exact grade, however, was not clear.
Other valuable Lincoln pennies
Other Lincoln pennies could sell for hundreds or even thousands if you happen to get lucky.
This includes the 1931-S penny, which has the second-lowest mintage in the series.
One recently sold for $201 online.
Another Lincoln penny that was described as “uniquely toned and mottled” sold for $203 online.
And then there’s also the 1909-S VDB Lincoln penny, whose mintage sits at only 484,000 – the lowest in the entire series.
One buyer paid $1,300 for one of those pennies recently.
To see if your spare change is worth anything, you can check eBay by searching the full name, selecting the “sold” listing, and then toggling the search to “highest value”.
This will give you an idea of how much the coin might be worth, because your quarters half dollars, dimes, nickels, and Lincoln pennies could be valuable too.
For more related stories, check out the most valuable silver coins in circulation.
