Introduction
When I was a child (back in Poland), collecting coins was an adventure—searching drawers at my home or my grandma’s house, swapping coins with my friends, or even finding some in my pocket change.
I feel like now, as an adult (recently in the USA), I’ve lost some of that adventurous spirit. It seems like collecting coins is just about going on eBay and buying any missing coins from a specific series. Of course, I’m oversimplifying, but I think you get the point.
So, I wanted to experience the thrill of adventure again—and I found a way!
I started getting rolls of quarters, dimes, pennies, etc. It made me feel like a child again, searching for treasure.
In this article, I want to help you rediscover your adventurous spirit by focusing on circulated pennies that are worth some money.
Let’s go on an adventure and find some treasures!
Pennies worth money in circulation list
1. 1959-D One Cent, Lincoln Memorial
What to look for: D Mintmark, remnants of a second and third Mintmark are visible from under the primary D to the left and bottom of mark.
Est. Price: $4.00 – $25.00
2. 1959-D One Cent, Lincoln Memorial
What to look for: The second “9” of “1959”, remnants of a possible D Mintmark showing a “bar” within the second “9”.
Est. Price: $5.00 – $25.00
3. 1959-D One Cent, Lincoln Memorial
What to look for: Remnants of second Mintmark, on the top of the primary D mark.
Est. Price: $1.00 – $5.00
4. 1959-D One Cent, Lincoln Memorial
What to look for: A Wheat Reverse, same as one that was strike from 1909-1958.
Est. Price: up to $50,000
5. 1960-D One Cent, Lincoln Memorial
What to look for: A “D” that is separated from primary D mark to the North, similar number in “960”.
Est. Price: $15.00 – $150
6. 1960-D One Cent, Lincoln Memorial
What to look for: Double D mark, very visible.
Est. Price: $3.00 – $25.00
6. 1960-D One Cent, Lincoln Memorial
What to look for: Secondary D to the top of the primary D.
Est. Price: $1.00 – $4.00
7. 1970-S One Cent, Lincoln Memorial
What to look for: Secondary S to the top of the primary Mintmark.
Est. Price: $2.50 – $20.00
8. 1971 One Cent, Lincoln Memorial
What to look for: Strong doubling on IN GOD WE TRUST and very strong doubling of LIBERTY.
Est. Price: $150 – $400
9. 1972 One Cent, Lincoln Memorial
What to look for: Strong doubling on IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY and date.
Est. Price: $125 – $500
10. 1974 One Cent, Lincoln Memorial
What to look for: A broken “CUD” and then remnants of letters about the LIBERTY.
Est. Price: $60.00 – $300
11. 1979-D One Cent, Lincoln Memorial
What to look for: Strong notching to upper and lower left serifs of the primary Mintmark.
Est. Price: $4.00 – $15.00
How to find them
One way is pocket change. I always check the change I get when I pay with cash—you never know what you might find! Make sure to review every coin before you spend it.
The second method, which is my favorite, involves getting coin rolls. I buy rolls of coins from local money exchanges.
I went to Western Union and got rolls of quarters and pennies, though there was a small fee. Still, I tried to do it as efficiently as possible. (They also have limits on how many rolls you can get.) Next, I went to Illinois Currency Exchange (I live in Chicago) and asked for rolls of coins. To my surprise, there were no fees or limits!
Now, I regularly get rolls of coins and go through them to fill gaps in my collection and look for rare or error coins.
FAQ
Why is a 1982 penny worth so much?
Doubling on E PLURIBUS UNUM, ONE CENT, and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA make a penny from 1982 “Small Date” worth up to $5,000. Less than 5 known!
Is a 1974 penny worth $2 million?
It could be if it is made out of aluminum! Extremely rare and illegal, as all produced pennies suppose to be destroyed.
What makes a 1983 D penny rare?
Some of them were made out of solid copper alloy instead of copper-plated zinc core. This cent would weight around 3.1 g instead of 2.5 g. They can be worth up to $23,000
