This Rare US Coin Is Worth Up To $5K & You'll Want To Look For This Tiny Mistake (2024)

FAQs

What is the most rare U.S. coin? ›

When it comes to valuable coins, nothing compares to the 1933 Double Eagle. The Double Eagle, the last gold currency struck in the U.S., sold for a whopping $18.9 million in 2021. First minted in 1907, the coin features an image of Lady Liberty on its obverse and an eagle in flight on the reverse, Smithsonian reported.

Among them, the 1884 and 1885 Trade Dollar coins are exceptionally rare, with only ten and five known to exist, respectively. In fact, in 2006, one 1884 Trade Dollar was auctioned for a staggering $3.3 million! But even more common dates of these dollar coins can be worth a lot of money, especially in higher grades.

That's what happened to several pennies produced in 1982, which pushed their value up from 1 cent to nearly $20,000. The penny in question is the 1982-D Small Date Copper Alloy Lincoln Cent, which sold at auction in 2016 for $18,800, according to Numismatic News.

The 1941 quarter has at least six doubled-die errors plus the Large-S and Small-S mint mark varieties, according to Coin Value Lookup. All these errors make these quarters worth big paychecks. Regarding finding a quarter worth $35,000, the coin sold had the Canadian “1941” imprint behind the U.S. “DOLLAR.”

Grading the 1923 Peace Dollar

Just like other coin types, the less wear and tear the coin has, the more valuable that coin may be. By thoroughly inspecting the coin's obverse and reverse looking for any imperfections, no matter how small, one may be able to get a good idea of the coin's grade.

A $1 coin minted in 2000 could fetch collectors between $300 and $4,000, based on its condition, if the Queen's portrait has a thicker outlining border than the opposite side. An accidental run of $1 coins were minted using a 10 cent obverse, or heads, die in 2000 leading to the wildly popular collectible mistake.

There's A 1936 Wheat Penny Worth $5,000!

8) 1922 D Wheat Penny - $6,000. 9) 1914 D Wheat Penny - $5,600. 10) 1909 S VDB Wheat Penny - $4,150.

One reason these coins are so valuable has to do with what they are made of. As GOBankingRates previously reported, any penny minted before 1982 contains 95% copper. Copper pennies are a relatively common find in a penny roll, which lowers their value.

1943 Bronze Lincoln Penny. Now we're getting into some serious money. The 1943 Bronze Lincoln penny has gone for hundreds of thousands of dollars, but it could go for as much as $1 million in perfect shape, according to Urban Aunty — as long as it's missing a mint mark (and thus from Philadelphia).

What is the rarest U.S. currency? ›

One of the most expensive bills is a 1891 $1,000 Silver Certificate “Mercy” Note, which is sometimes consider the “unicorn” of United States paper money, and it is estimated to draw $1.75 million to $2.25 million because there are only two of them left in the world.

Modern union coins

The $100 denomination has been produced by the US Mint since 1997 in the form of the American Platinum Eagle bullion coin.