Back in the day, most coins were just chump change, but now some of the little details in these vintage or rare coins can fatten up your wallet with bills, instead of pocket change.
You chances of owning at least one of these coins are definitely higher than your odds of winning the lottery.
Go rummage in your coin jar, wallet, under your couch cushions, in your drawers, under your car seat, and anywhere else that you may find some "worthless" change.
If you find any of these coins below, visit a coin appraiser and they'll let you know if you have the real deal.
1. 1894-S Barber Dime
Only nine 1894-S Barber dimes are said to exist, and they are so rare that they're worth millions of dollars.
In 2016, a coin collector paid $2 million for this old thing.
2. 1913 Liberty Head Nickel
The Liberty head, Shield, and the Buffalo nickel are each worth a few thousand dollars.
If you own any nickels that look vintage, are from the 19th or 20th century, and have a face on them, your best bet is to visit a coin appraiser and get a second opinion.
3. 1943 Lincoln Head Copper Penny
In the '40s, the U.S. Mint made pennies out of steel, then coated them with zinc. But this special coin was made out of copper.
Real 1943 Lincoln head copper pennies can be worth up to $10,000, but those fake ones circulating around are worth even less than they say.
4. 1955 Double Die Penny
This coin is supposed to look just like it does in the photo above: blurry.
The double image was created after a slight askew alignment during the minting process.
In 1955, only a few thousand doubled die pennies were released, mostly given as change from cigarette vending machines.
If this coin is in decent condition, it could be worth $1,800.
5. 1970-S Proof Washington Quarter
What you should look for here is the "S" on the head side, which indicates that it was made in San Francisco, and on the tail side look for the year "1941" printed upside down above the word "Dollar."
The quarter has been previously put up for auction for $35,000!
6. 1992 "Close AM" Penny
In 2012, a 1992 Lincoln penny sold for more than $20,000 at an auction.
The only reason it's worth so much is because the "AM" in America is closer together than it should be.
According to coin experts, fifteen of them are known to exist.
7. 2004 Wisconsin State Quarter
The Badger state minted millions of quarters in 2004, but a few thousand were somehow marked with an extra leaf on a husk of corn.
For that reason, this coin is now a collector's item and has sold for up to $1,400.
8. 2005 "In God We Rust" Kansas State Quarter
This was an accident caused by grease build-up in the coin dye for the letter T, and because it happened on the official motto of the United States, the coin can be worth hundreds of dollars.
9. 2005 Speared Bison Jefferson Nickel
If you own a 2005 nickel that looks like the buffalo has been stabbed, you may be sitting on more than a thousand dollars.
10. 2007 "Godless" Presidential Coin
What's worse than "In God We Rust?" Apparently it's having no God to trust in the first place.
The George Washington dollar coins were accidentally minted without the motto, and for that reason it can be worth hundreds to thousands of dollars.
11. Ben Franklin half-dollar
In the late '40s, half-dollar coins were in circulation with images of Ben Franklin and an eagle.
The coin was replaced in 1964, with an image of John F. Kennedy, after he was assassinated.
This half-dollar was around for almost two decades, which is why it's not as rare as other coins. The value is estimated to be at least $100.
12. 1982 No P Mintmark Roosevelt Dime
All coins have a letter printed on them indicating which mint they were made at.
The Philadelphia Mint once made an error and forgot to put a "P" on their Roosevelt dime.
Luckily, they produced only a small quantity of these coins, so if you have only one of them you can make up to $300.
13. 1804 Draped Bust Silver Dollar - Class I
If you have coins from the 19th century, you'd better get them to a coin appraiser as soon as possible! You could be sitting on millions of dollars!
One of these 1804 silver dollar coins was auctioned at $3.7 million, and another one of these coins were sold for $4.14 million.
Unfortunately, there are only 15 of these coins known to exist today. You'd be better off winning the lottery than getting your hands on one of these coins.
14. 1907 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle
Congress wasn't pleased when Charles Barber, the U.S. Mint's chief engraver at the time, chose to remove "In God We Trust" from this coin, rather than Saint-Gaudens's complicated design.
In light of that controversial omission, this coin is roughly worth $7 million.
Can you believe $20 coins existed? In my opinion, this coin definitely has the most beautiful design out of all American coins.
15. Wheat Pennies
Now that you've read about coins worth more money than you can imagine, how about checking out some more common ones that are worth a few hundreds of dollars.
Most of the Wheat Pennies from before the 1930s are worth upwards of $300.
Take a look in your coin jar and see if you have any of these:
- 1901 S Wheat Penny ($430)
- 1911 S Wheat Penny ($340)
- 1914 S Wheat Penny ($670)
- 1914 D Wheat Penny ($4,268)
- 1915 S Wheat Penny ($320)
- 1924 (S) Wheat Penny ($450 - $485)
- 1927 Wheat Penny ($345)
