At what age is a penny worth more?

It turns out all pennies with a date of 1981 or earlier were made from nearly pure copper, which means they are actually worth three times their face value - three cents.

What year of pennies is most valuable?

The Most Expensive Penny

The first 1943 copper cent was sold in 1958 for more than $40,000. In 1996, another went for a whopping $82,500. But those sales pale in comparison with the latest: this week, a dealer in New Jersey sold his 1943 penny for a staggering $1.7 million.

Why is a 1982 penny worth $10000?

So for the past 30 years, pennies have been made with an alloy comprised of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper, but pennies minted before 1982 are 95% copper and 5% zinc. The price of copper has more than quadrupled over the past 10 years.

What year penny is worth $1000000?

Simpson, co-chairman of the Texas Rangers baseball club, paid $1 million for the finest known 1943-S Lincoln Wheat cent on a bronze planchet. All 1943 Lincoln cents were supposed to be made of steel planchets coated with zinc.

What's special about the 1999 penny?

It's from 1999 and could be worth $4,500 thanks to a little-known error on it. What you want to look for is a 1999 penny with no mint mark, which means no letter under the year on the heads side.

How Much is Your Old Penny Worth?

Why is 1977 penny worth so much?

The San Francisco mint produced only proof pennies in 1977. Their number was limited to 3,251,152 pieces, making their price high in some cases.

Are pennies older than 1982 worth more?

It turns out all pennies with a date of 1981 or earlier were made from nearly pure copper, which means they are actually worth three times their face value - three cents. That probably isn't too impressive, but that's just the start.

Are 1965 pennies rare?

1965 Lincoln Penny Value Guides

It was the typical mintage for this coin type. Many are still available, making this coin abundant and inexpensive. Interestingly, this piece contains 95% copper. Since this metal price is worth twice the coin's face value, you can sell it for two cents.

Why is a 1968 D penny worth so much?

It's easy to get the 1968 pennies because most are circulating. The mints struck them in large numbers, so they have a low value today. The ones that sell for high prices have rare mint errors. It's their rarity that makes them go for a high price.

What makes a 1969 penny valuable?

Remember, the proof coins never circulated. Only some Mint officials and some coin collectors got the pennies. So, expect the 1969 pennies from the San Francisco mint to have a high rarity and price today. Most people find the coin worth keeping because of its high copper value.

Why is the 1943 pennies so rare?

The Rare 1943 Penny

The reason is that the 1943 copper penny is an error coin. The United States Mint accidentally used the wrong planchet metal when striking the coin. But very, very few of these left the U.S. Mint facilities.

What makes a 1982 penny rare?

In October 1982, the Denver mint began making the coins with a smaller date. Remember, the Denver mint struck 6,012,979,368 pieces. The number includes both copper and zinc pennies. So, such large numbers made these 1982 pennies have a low market value.

Should I keep copper pennies?

Why should I save Copper Alloy cents/pennies? Some 1982 and all prior years are made with 95% copper. With copper at historic high prices, each of these coins are worth much more in actual metal content, than their face value.

How much is a 1988 penny worth?

The 1988 Penny is 97.5% zinc with a top coat of 2.5% copper. These are both base metals, and since the coin only weighs 2.5g, its melt value is negligible. So even in mint state, these coins are typically worth 30 cents, though you might get $5 or so for high proof grades.

What are rarest pennies?

Is there a rare 1976 penny?

So far, the most valuable 1976 Penny was a 1976 No Mint Mark in MS 68. It could be from West Point (W) or Philadelphia (P) since both mints lacked mint marks that year. Back in 2014, a 1976 MS 68 RD sold for close to $8,000.

What are the top rarest pennies?

Should I clean pennies before selling?

Generally, it is better to leave your antique metal currency alone than it is to try and erase all the grime and grit off of those coins. Cleaning or polishing rare coins devalues them. So, if you're planning on selling them, get an appraisal before attempting to clean your coins.

Should you clean old pennies?

This is never advised for the general public. There is no benefit to attempting to clean a collectible coin. Copper never re-tones to its original color and look anyway. Put down the polish before you destroy something historical and throw away a fortune.

What to look for in the 1982 and 1983 pennies?

If your Lincoln Memorial penny has a date before 1982, it is made of 95% copper. If the date is 1983 or later, it is made of 97.5% zinc and plated with a thin copper coating. For pennies dated 1982, when both copper and zinc cents were made, and best way to determine their composition is to weigh them.

What is a double died penny?

A doubled die coin is produced when the coin die is not manufactured correctly. This manufacturing error leads to the appearance of two images on a single coin die. The more obvious and distinct the error is, the more the coin will be worth.

Why are wheat pennies so rare?

1944 Steel Cent Wheat Penny

It's speculated that either steel blanks from the previous year had been left behind and accidentally struck, or steel blanks from foreign coins that the Mint was producing were mistakenly mixed in with the copper blanks and struck. Either way, a great rarity was created for us!

Are 1944 wheat pennies rare?

The 1944 Lincoln penny is particularly desirable in the eyes of collectors not only because of its design, but also due to its scarcity. Being that there are no more 1944 Lincolns being produced, the scarcity of these coins is constantly on the rise, thus making the coins more valuable.

How many 1943 copper pennies are left?

Today, a total of 27 1943 copper wheat pennies are confirmed to exist and have been graded–including six of the 1943-S, as well as the unique 1943-D. Seven of the 27 have been graded by PCGS and 13 have been graded by NGC.