Experts estimate that about 40 of these pennies exist, though some say fewer than 20 examples remain. But it mistakenly still struck a batch of pennies with copper, potentially because blanks remained in the press when the mint began making new steel pennies. needed those metals for war efforts, so the mint started using steel to produce the coin. While pennies were normally made of copper and nickel, the U.S. Here’s another coin that you just might find tucked inside a dresser sometime, and it’s the conditions surrounding its production that make the 1943 Lincoln Head Copper Penny interesting and valuable. Coins in better condition may go for a few thousand dollars and perhaps as high as $10,000, while extremely rare variants may sell for tens of thousands. Zivi suggests you could buy a Fugio cent for a few hundred dollars, making it relatively accessible for a coin with such an interesting history. The reverse of the coin has the motto “We are one” with 13 links in a chain to symbolize America’s first 13 states. At the bottom, the coin says “mind your business,” an invocation for the bearer to literally pay attention to their business affairs.
In line with Franklin’s humor, the coin shows a sun and sundial with the Latin motto “fugio,” suggesting the sun and time are flying. The Fugio cent, also known as the Franklin cent, after founding father Benjamin Franklin, may have been the first coin circulated in the newly formed United States. The Fugio cent hasn’t set the kind of astronomical records as the first two coins on this list, but it can still be a pricey collectible, and it has an interesting history to it. Zivi says that there’s a lot of misinformation on the internet now about coins, with scammers taking a common coin and trying to sell it as a valuable coin on an auction site. His motto for new entrants to the field is “Buy the book before you buy the coin.” The book he’s referring to is “ A Guide Book of United States Coins,” known among experts as the “Red Book.” He also recommends a subscription to Coin World, which includes current information on the state of the industry. “You have to make good choices in what you pick.”įor those getting into the field, it’s important to understand what your goal is – to have a good time with your collection as a hobbyist or try to make some money as an investor.Įither way, says Zivi, you want to know what you’re doing. “Coins are both a hobby and investment,” says Warren Zivi, head numismatist and president at American Rarities, a coin dealer based in Boulder, Colorado. (And if you’re into paper money – here are the big bills you’re unlikely to see.)īefore you rush out to buy these coins – if you have a spare million sitting around for some of them – you’ll want to hear from an expert coin collector, a numismatist, as they’re called for guidance. Some more recent examples (coins from the 20th century) may be relatively affordable and those are more likely to be tucked away someplace quiet or in a safe deposit box at your parents’ bank.
Many of the valuable coins in the list below are not likely to be hiding in your attic since they are tremendously rare, but not all of them are super expensive either. Striking it rich is a remote possibility for folks who have built up a sizable collection of valuable coins, but you may still be able to find some loose change that’s worth significantly more than you would otherwise expect. So is rooting through your jars of coins and coming up with a rare one that’s worth serious money. Finding a treasure hidden in an old dresser drawer or the attic is the stuff of dreams.
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