YOU might be able to find at least three US coins in your spare change that are worth thousands of dollars.
While some of the rarest and most lucrative finds are out of circulation or never were to begin with, these still are.
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Coins can be worth serious money for several reasons.
Usually, it involves a combination of a unique history, limited quantity produced, and minting errors.
Pennies, dimes, nickels, and quarters from several minting years have these elements, typically the older the better.
The three that stand out and can be worth over $90,000 a piece include a quarter and two pennies.
1970 S QUARTER
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First is the 1970 S Quarter — particularly a version that went for $93,000 at auction in 2023, per Heritage Auctions.
To get that kind of cash, however, there was a special and unique minting error.
Instead of being struck on the 1970 S Quarter planchet at the San Francisco Mint that year, the coin was overstruck on top of the planchet for the 1898 five dollar coin.
Experts who reviewed the coin found “parts of the 1898 half eagle” with the date also seen below the wreath on the reverse, or tails, side.
What also makes the quarter valuable is its high grading of PR66.
Coins are typically graded on a scale from the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) between one and 70 — one being in very poor condition and 70 being flawless.
The 66 grading is optimal, and means the coin was in excellent shape.
2001 D LINCOLN PENNY
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Another rare coin worth a bit more that you might be able to find is the 2001 D Lincoln Penny.
Heritage Auctions sold a version of the penny for $96,000 in August of last year.
Rare coins
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What made it special was another extremely uncommon minting error known as a “mule.”
Mule coins are struck with dies that are completely mismatched.
For example, this penny had a reverse side of the Roosevelt dime and the obverse side of the Lincoln penny.
Experts only know of about 30 mule coins in the US Mint’s history.
Some can go for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The 2001 D (Denver) Lincoln Penny worth $96,000 also had a grading of MS66.
1999 LINCOLN PENNY
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Last, and most lucrative on the list is also another mule — a 1999 Lincoln Penny where the reverse is again, the Roosevelt dime.
It sold at auction back in 2006 for $138,000.
With today’s buying power, it would’ve been worth about $218,527, per the CPI Inflation Calculator from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Similar to the 2001 D mule version, this one was also graded MS66.
There are several other coins out there worth even more money.
For example, a “Liberty” nickel recently sold for $3.2 million at auction thanks to its date and other details, making it one of the rarest finds in United States history.
At least four other coins in your change could also be worth over $1.7 million.
