10 Valuable Pennies That Are Worth A Ton Of Money

For years, many have argued that making a penny costs more than it's worth. That's why President Donald Trump wants to get rid of pennies. But this doesn't mean that the penny's value is limited to one cent. Within the billions of one-cent pieces minted since 1792 lies the potential for staggering wealth. Rare coins, like the 1943 copper penny, are worth hundreds of thousands, and a few can even reach into the millions. These simple metal discs transform from common currency into coveted treasures through a confluence of factors that are the bedrock of numismatics — the study and collection of coins. The pillars of coin collecting are grounded in these principles: rarity, minting errors, physical condition, and historical significance.

Rarity is determined by a low original mintage and an even lower survival rate. Minting errors refer to manufacturing mistakes, such as double images, that create spectacular rarities. Famous examples worth tons of money include the 1955 Doubled Die Lincoln Cent and the 1937 Doubled Die Obverse Washington quarter. Physical condition points to the coin's grade; a penny that never entered circulation and remains in pristine "Mint State" is far more valuable than a worn one. And finally, the historical significance, which ties the coin to pivotal moments, such as the material shortages of WWII or the founding of the U.S. Mint itself. The pennies that follow confirm that a coin is never just a coin but a product of its time — a reflection of war, economic turmoil, and pure chance. So, check your spare change; perhaps you'll spot a rare coin that could be worth a ton.

In the world of mint errors, few are as dramatic or have a backstory as notorious as the 1969-S Double Die Obverse Cent. But what is a double-die error? It happens during the hubbing process, a metalworking technique that transfers a hardened, 3D positive design onto a softer die blank to create a negative impression. When the die receives two misaligned impressions, it leaves a double image on every struck coin, which is exactly what happened to the 1969 cent. As with the 1955 penny, its defect is visible to the naked eye on the date and across the inscriptions "LIBERTY" and "IN GOD WE TRUST."

Soon after the first genuine examples emerged in 1970, U.S. Secret Service agents began confiscating those coins, believing them to be illegal counterfeits. Also, at the time, a pair of forgers was indeed producing and selling fake 1969 double die cents, which prompted the belief that many of the coins were counterfeit. The government eventually confirmed the true mint errors, but not before having destroyed thousands of them. This action added to the coins' oddity and increased their value for collectors. With fewer than 100 authentic pieces believed to exist, the 1969-S Double Die Cent remains one of the most sought-after modern rarities. About its worth, one of these coins sold for $126,500 at a Heritage Auctions sale in January 2008, while another example fetched the same price at a Stack Bowers auction in March 2018.

The 1914-D Lincoln Cent is a classic American rarity because of its low mintage, decades of circulation, and the fact that collectors didn't know it was special. The year 1914 was a period of instability for the United States. A recession had hit the country, and the outbreak of World War I in Europe triggered a financial crisis. This economic wobble affected coin output in the U.S., with the Denver Mint producing just 1,193,000 pieces that year. Unlike the 1909-S VDB, which was hoarded from its first day due to public controversy, the 1914-D remained largely overlooked. Most of the mintage entered circulation and endured years of wear and tear. Moreover, because very few 1914-D cents were saved during minting, the number of surviving examples is remarkably small, especially in uncirculated condition.

Besides, the 1914-D was a "workhorse issue," not widely preserved by the population or hobbyists when it was released. Only decades later did collectors realize that a handful of pristine specimens remained, solidifying its status as a true wonder. Regarding auction performance, a superb gem 1914-D Lincoln Cent in original fiery red luster sold for $158,625 at a public sale in August 2018. Even in battered, circulated grades, this penny is collectible and can reach values starting in the hundreds of dollars. In the realm of coins, sometimes the humblest piece becomes the greatest treasure.

Having Abraham Lincoln on a cent became a watershed moment in American coinage. Released to commemorate the 100th anniversary of President Lincoln's birth, the 1909-S V.D.B. Cent was the first circulating U.S. coin to feature the portrait of a real person. This move represented a break from the traditional allegorical figure of Liberty. President Theodore Roosevelt championed this historical change; he was seeking to modernize and beautify the nation's currency, which he did. Here's why this coin is such an oddity. Victor David Brenner, the coin's designer, placed his three initials, "V.D.B.," in plain sight on the reverse at the bottom between the two wheat stalks. Such an act sparked immediate and intense public controversy, with critics and officials within the Treasury Department denouncing the characters as a form of tasteless self-promotion.

The outcry was swift. The Treasury Secretary ordered the initials removed from the dies just days after the coin's release, creating a numismatic rarity. While the Philadelphia Mint had already struck over 27 million "VDB" cents, the San Francisco branch had produced a mere 484,000. As expected, the media frenzy surrounding the controversy fueled widespread hoarding, turning the 1909-S VDB into a famous item from the moment of its creation. In April 2022, an example graded MS-67 RD (a designation for coins keeping their original mint red color) by PCGS sold for $168,000 at a Stack's Bowers auction. If you have one of these metallic tokens, consider that prices vary based on condition, with even well-worn examples selling for hundreds of dollars.

By the 1850s, the rising cost of copper had made the large cents unprofitable for the U.S. Mint to produce, while their cumbersome size was unpopular with the public. In response to the demand, the Mint began experimenting with a compact coin composed of an alloy of 88% copper and 12% nickel, giving birth to the 1856 Flying Eagle Cent. This coin marked a pivotal transition from the 19th-century heavy copper cent to the familiar small-sized penny we know today. However, the 1856 Flying Eagle Cent was not meant for circulation. It was a pattern coin –– a prototype created to show lawmakers what the new coinage would look like. For this purpose, only between 1,500 and 2,000 were produced.

The introduction of this novel, smaller penny, and the simultaneous discontinuation of the old currency, sparked a wave of nostalgia, fueling America's first major numismatic craze. Thousands of people began gathering complete sets of the now-obsolete large cents, and this newfound collector enthusiasm also created a strong demand for the rare 1856 pattern. And, as expected, its worth has consistently risen over time. A spectacular 1856 Flying Eagle Cent sold for $240,000 at a Heritage Auctions sale in September 2020. Apart from representing the genesis of the small cents, the 1856 Flying Eagle marks the dawn of organized coin collecting in America.

The 1955 Doubled Die Obverse Cent is one of the most visually striking mint errors in U.S. coinage history. The blunder took place at the Philadelphia Mint, where thousands of pieces received two impressions from the master hub that were improperly aligned. Its most prominent misprints are on the date and the engravings "LIBERTY" and "IN GOD WE TRUST." Fourteen years later, the 1969-S cent suffered the same fate but at the San Francisco Mint. A night shift inspector at the Philadelphia Mint noticed the misprint after over 40,000 coins had been struck. Seeing this, workers isolated and destroyed 20,000 of them, but over 20,000 more had already been mixed in with millions of properly struck cents and released into circulation.

Most of the flawed coins were discovered in the northeastern U.S. as change from cigarette vending machines. At that moment, a pack of cigarettes cost 23 cents, and a customer inserting a quarter would receive two brand-new pennies sealed inside the cellophane wrapper. This unique distribution method allowed many of the error coins to be found in pristine condition. The 1955 Doubled Die Obverse Cent value has continued to appreciate over time. In March 2018, a flawless example sold for $114,000 at a Stack's Bowers sale. More recently, in January 2023, another specimen reached $287,156 at a GreatCollections auction. This coin did more than just create a valuable rarity; it helped popularize the hobby of collecting coins for the average person.

Collectors covet this penny because few were struck, fewer saved, and the surviving ones, particularly in Mint State, are scarce. By the 1870s, an excess of bronze cents had accumulated in banks because of the impact of the Long Depression and the Panic of 1873. In response, Congress authorized the Mint to redeem these surplus coins. But rather than melting them down, the Mint began simply reissuing the redeemed cents to meet the meager demand for new coinage. In 1877, this practice reached its peak. The Philadelphia Mint redeemed more than 9.9 million bronze cents and reissued 9.8 million of them back into circulation. This massive recycling effort met the public's needs, meaning not many fresh coins were required.

As a result, the official mintage for the 1877 Indian Head Cent amounted to a mere 852,500 pieces — a tiny fraction of the tens of millions produced in more prosperous years. Since connoisseurs of the era focused on specially prepared Proof coins, nearly the entire mintage of the 1877 cent was subjected to decades of daily use. So, the 1877 Indian Head Cent is among the most challenging 19th-century coins to get in pristine condition. For collectors, this penny is a bounty in every state of preservation, from heavily worn to Mint State. In April 2009, an example graded MS-66 Red by PCGS sold for $149,500. Six years later, another one reached $99,875, but a superb specimen, MS-66+ RD, fetched $340,875 in a GreatCollections auction in November 2023.

It'd be fair to say that the 1944-S Steel Lincoln Cent is the echo of its more famous 1943 bronze cousin (also on this list). In 1944, after the one-year experiment with zinc-coated steel cents proved unpopular, the U.S. Mint returned to the traditional copper-based formula for its pennies. However, since a few bronze planchets were left over in 1943, some of them remained in the coining presses. The notable error on this currency occurred when workers fed these leftover planchets into the San Francisco Mint's presses and struck them with 1944-dated dies. This resulted in a coin that should never have existed: a steel cent dated 1944.

While every mint produced those errors that year, the San Francisco ("S" mint mark) version is by far the rarest. Only two authenticated examples are known to exist, making them as special as the 1943-S Bronze Cent and among the ultimate prizes in error coin collecting. The fame of the 1943 Bronze Cent amplifies the value of the 1944-S Steel Cent because of its popular story, creating a pre-existing market of collectors who understand its significance. Thus, the 1944 coin needed not to build its own legend from scratch. An example of the 1944-S Steel Cent, classified MS-66 by PCGS, sold for an impressive $408,000 in August 2021. Another, slightly lower-graded one had fetched $180,000 just a couple of months before.

This cent's story originated in Philadelphia in 1793 when the newly established U.S. Mint in this northeastern city began full-time production — albeit it was a bit chaotic. The earliest one-cent coin, the "Chain Cent," faced public disapproval; critics felt the chain design symbolized slavery rather than unity. Because of that, it was quickly replaced by the "Wreath Cent," which featured a more pleasant laurel wreath on its reverse. Amid these two issuances, one of the greatest coinage mysteries emerged: the Strawberry Leaf Cent. This coin is an exceptionally peculiar variety of the 1793 Wreath Cent, distinctive for a unique sprig of leaves below the portrait of Liberty. Since there's no official report, the identity of the plant has been a matter of speculation and debate for more than a century.

It has been labeled as a strawberry plant, a clover, and even a cotton plant. Despite the uncertainty, the "Strawberry Leaf" nickname has persisted. Why it was minted remains a perpetual numismatic puzzle. Was it an experimental pattern, a die engraver's flourish, or a hurriedly abandoned design? Nobody knows. What is left is the enigma surrounding its creation and singularity. With only four examples known to exist, they are placed in the highest echelon of coin collecting treasures. The finest of the four specimens, graded VG-10 (Very Good) by PCGS, sold for $862,500 at a Stack's public auction in January 2009. It came as a generous return for the previous owner, as the same coin had realized $414,000 in 2004.

The story of this cent is directly tied to the heavy demands of WWII. In 1943, copper was a strategic material, essential for manufacturing everything from shell casings to communication wires. Hence, to conserve this vital resource, the U.S. Mint decided to strike the nation's one-cent coins on zinc-coated planchets, resulting in the silvery-gray "steelies" common from that year. But this dramatic and unprecedented shift in composition wasn't error-free. Numismatic experts believe that at the end of the 1942 production run, a few bronze planchets got stuck in the large bins used to feed the coining presses at the Denver Mint. When the bins were refilled with new zinc-coated steel planchets for 1943, leftover bronze blanks became dislodged and were struck with the 1943-dated dies, producing a renowned minting mistake.

Only one specimen exists, ranking it as a top rarity in all American numismatics and earning it the title of "the most valuable cent in the world." The coin sold for a record $1.7 million in a private transaction brokered by Legend Numismatics in September 2010. At that time, the economy was recovering from the 2008 financial crisis, and tangible assets were seen as a safe haven. Later, the same coin appeared at a Heritage Auctions sale in January 2021 but went under the hammer for $840,000. Connoisseurs claimed it doesn't reflect a loss of value; rather, it reveals a different sales environment and economic climate.

Designed by engraver Robert Birch, the 1792 Birch Cent is not a coin that was ever spent in a colonial marketplace; it is a prototype, a pattern coin from the very dawn of American currency. Struck in 1792, the same year the Coinage Act established the U.S. Mint, it was one of the first experimental steps toward creating a national coinage system. Official records and correspondence show that these pattern coins, commissioned by then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, were personally examined by President George Washington. Such a direct physical link to the nation's founding fathers elevates the Birch Cent from a mere numismatic item to a premier historical treasure.

The obverse features a portrait of Miss Liberty with flowing hair, encircled by the motto "LIBERTY PARENT OF SCIENCE & INDUSTRY" –– a deliberate embodiment of the Enlightenment values the founders sought to weave into the new republic. It suggests that true liberty nurtures innovation and progress, standing in sharp contrast to the monarchical systems of Europe at the time. Extremely rare and with unmatched heritage, the 1792 Birch Cent set a record in January 2015 when the finest known example, graded MS65 Red and Brown by NGC from the Donald G. Partrick Collection, sold at a Heritage Auction for $2,585,000 as reported by Los Angeles Times. Another specimen, rated About Uncirculated 58 by PCGS, realized $1,175,000 at Stack's Bowers Galleries in March the same year.