At what age do pennies become valuable?

Old pennies made before 1982 are 95% copper, which gives them an inherent metal value. This translates to the pennies being worth more.

What years of pennies are worth money?

Are pennies before 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.

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.

How old does a penny have to be to be worth more than one cent?

If You Have A Penny From Before 1982, It's Worth More Than 1 Cent.

How valuable can a 1994 penny be? Error penny in your change!

Should I save copper pennies?

Canadian copper pennies have a higher copper content at 98%, the balance being zinc and tin. 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.

What is the rarest penny ever?

1877 Indian Head Penny – $149,500

This particular penny is the rarest date of all the Indian Head pennies minted. In 1877 the demand for US coinage was at an all-time low due to a long recession. So, people didn't save pennies then. To find an uncirculated version in mint condition is rare.

Why is the 1983 penny worth so much?

According to CNBC's Make It, the US made 7.7 billion pennies in 1983, but only about 5,000 are known to have this doubling error — making them valuable to those who find one in their possession.

Are 1983 pennies rare?

The U.S. made about 7.7 billion pennies in 1983, but only about 5,000 of them are known to have been made with this doubling error, James McCartney, director of numismatics at Stack's Bowers Galleries, tells CNBC Make It. The rarity of these misprinted pennies are what make them more valuable than ordinary pennies.

Why is a 1982 D 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.

What's special about the 2009 penny?

In 2009, the U.S. Mint made four special penny designs to celebrate Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday. It was also the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln penny, which the Mint first made in 1909. The image of Lincoln remained on the obverse (heads) of all four cents in the new program.

How much is a 1943-D steel penny worth?

How Much Is a 1943-D Steel Penny Worth? The 1943-D/D steel penny with a re-punched mintmark is highly sought after as it fetches $100 for fine-40 up to $400 for mint state-63 variety. Though the mintage figure is unknown, estimates show about 3,000-5,000 may exist across the grades.

How much is a 1943 wheat penny worth?

A 1943 wheat penny with no mint mark, Philadelphia mint, is the most common of the 1943 pennies and is worth around 15 cents in average condition and up to a few dollars for nongraded coins in fine condition.

What year penny is worth $1000?

The coin in question is a penny from 1909. The media could not be played. If you find a 1909 penny with an S on the front and the letters VDB on the back at the bottom, it could be worth nearly $1,000.

How rare is a 1992 Close AM penny?

The 1992 Close AM examples struck at the Denver Mint are also considered very scarce and there is only about a dozen examples known for this variety.

Are 1965 pennies rare?

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.

Is a 1983 penny worth $15,000?

There's a rare 1983 copper penny (a 1983-D penny) worth $15,000 -- you could find one in your pocket change!

What year is the million dollar penny?

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.

How much is a Cheerios penny worth?

Description. This penny was given away in the year 2000 as part of the new Sacagewea program. Infamously, General Mills ended up giving away 5,500 free dollar coins that are now each worth around $3,000! If you did not get lucky enough for one of the dollars, you would recieve this cent instead.

What is the Holy Grail penny?

Source: slgckgc via Flickr (Modified) This holy grail penny is a copper penny from 1943. That might sound normal to some, but the U.S. didn't make pennies out of copper in 1943. Instead, they were made out of steel coated in zinc. This was due to copper being used for other purposes during World War II.

What is the most wanted wheat penny?

The most valuable Wheat Penny ever auctioned is a unique 1943-D Bronze Cent, sold for $840,000. Other examples of valuable wheat pennies include the 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Penny, the 1944 Steel Penny, and other variations of the 1943 Bronze Penny.

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.

Why is the 1999 penny worth so much?

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.

What year penny is worth $10000?

This 1982 Copper Penny Is Worth $10,000! You Could Find This Rare Penny In Your Pocket Change - Here's What To Look For. Someone found a 1982 copper penny worth more than $10,000 -- and you could too! Here's everything you want to know about the 1982 D penny - and how to find a 1982 small date penny.

Why is the 1943 penny worth $1000000?

The 1943 penny is worth $1 000 000 because it is not made of steel. In 1943, the US Mint switched from copper to steel to make pennies. However, the mints accidentally made a few pennies with bronze planchets instead of steel planchets coated with zinc. These pennies are now worth a lot of money because they are rare.