A Lincoln Memorial cent was released in 1972 but with it came a glaring error. No, your vision is not blurry, both the lettering on “1972” and “Liberty” were doubled. It is estimated that at the time of the error, around 20,000 of the pennies were made that way, making them a rear rarity.
So just how much are these pennies worth? If you happen to have one of these in your loose change, it may be worth hanging onto. One of these pennies, which was auctioned off on eBay, had a starting bid of $1 and ended up selling for $325 in September 2021, according to a publication in The U.S. Sun.
In the early 2000s, the U.S. Mint had a promotion for its new golden dollar featuring the visage of one Sacagawea. The promotion involved the packing of a 2000 Lincoln cent into 10 million Cheerios boxes. Then around 5,500 of those also featured a Sacagawea golden dollar in the box.
However, these weren’t all just any regular Sacagawea dollars. On the reverse side of the golden dollar were enhanced eagle tail feathers. Only about 70 were produced this way which makes them pretty rare. With that said, depending on the condition, they could be worth as much as $25,000!
In 1955, there was a similar glaring double die error on the Lincoln penny. The penny featured doubled lettering over “Liberty,” “In God We Trust,” and “1955.” It is likely that the pennies with this error were improperly inspected and ended up in circulation as occurs from time to time.
But now, this is a huge collector’s item for coin enthusiasts, and if you just happen to have one in your change jar, then you may have something worth a lot more than one cent. Around 20,000 of these pennies were produced but only around 10,000 are believed to be in existence. In November 2021, one had sold for $1,850.
In 2004, the Wisconsin state quarter was minted with an image depicting a cow, an ear of corn and a wheel of cheese. It was a common quarter except for the ones made in error. The errored version of the quarter features an extra leaf on the left side of the corn that touches the wheel of cheese.
Some believe that this error was deliberately made by someone messing with the die, but whatever the case may be, it’s worth a lot more than 25 cents now. In October 2021, the errored state quarter sold for as much as $152 on eBay. It’s definitely worth hanging onto or selling if you think you’ll lose it.
The 1927-D Saint-Gaudens double eagle coin is one of the rarest U.S. coins in existence. The $20 coin was named after Augustus Saint-Gaudens who designed the 1905 model. This coin is one of the rarest, not because there were not many produced, but because many of them were destroyed.
In 1933, there was a gold recall and as a result, many of the coins were melted down. Any coins that remain are believed to be worth around $1 million. In August 2021, one of the coins sold for a whopping $3 million as it was in excellent condition compared to others of its kind.
1894-S Barber dime is an ultra-rare coin because only 24 of them were ever made and it is estimated that only nine of them exist today. That being said, one of them sold for as much as $2 million at a Florida auction in 2016. Another one, owned by Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss was sold for $1.32 million at an auction in Chicago.
The 1894-S Barber dime was designed by artist and engraver Charles E. Barber. He produced the dime for the San Francisco mint. Much like other Barber dimes, it featured the head of Lady Liberty on the front of the coin with wheat and the words “One Dime” on the reverse of the coin.
There are only five 1913 Liberty head nickels said to be in existence. While it’s unlikely that you would ever find one in your change jar – hey – you never know! Buzz surrounding the coin in media outlets and word of mouth has brought up a high demand for this coin. In 2018, one sold at a Philadelphia auction for $4.56 million.
Like the Barber dime, it was designed by Charles E. Barber. Again, it features the head of Liberty on the front along with the Roman numeral V engraved on the reverse of the nickel. The rarest versions of the nickel are without the word “cents” because U.S. Mint officials failed to add the words.
The 1943-S Lincoln wheat penny was produced at a unique time in American history. It was WWII and the U.S. Mint switched to zinc-coated steel coins rather than copper because the copper was needed for the purpose of making ammunition. Many of them were produced in 1942 but some from 1943 were processed and circulated.
The occurrence of these coins is thought to be an accident - that is that the metal disks from 1942 accidentally entered processing. Because they are so rare, coin collectors like Texas Rangers co-chairman Bob R. Simpson are willing to pay a lot of money. In fact, he paid $1 million in 2012.
The Flowing Hair dollar as it is called is a $1 coin that is believed to be the first official silver dollar ever issued by the US Government. This version of Liberty on the front of the dollar is depicted as have long flowing hair. There’s a 1794 version and a 1795 version but the 1795 version is more common.
There are only believed to be up to 200 of the 1794 variety in existence, while there are a lot more of the 1795 version. Nevertheless, the design was quickly replaced, so the coin is still worth a lot of money. A 1795 coin can still manage to sell in the thousands. In September 2021, for instance, one sold for $2,500.
The Morgan Silver Dollar is one of the most well-known among collectors. The $1 coin was named after designer George T. Morgan. It features Liberty on one side and an eagle with stretched wings on the reverse side. The coin was minted from 1878 to 1904, as well as in 1921.
While many of them were produced, most of them ended up getting melted down so now they are few and far between. The value of a Morgan Silver Dollar depends on the condition, mint year and rarity. Most recently, Morgan silver dollars have made as much as $1,805 for a circulated 1893-S coin. Uncirculated coins are also worth something but more in the $300 range.
