It used to be that coins were just change. We didn’t think too much if we dropped one on the ground or lost one. Now though, some of the littlest details on these rare or vintage coins can add bills to your wallet instead of just pocket change.

There’s a chance you have one of these laying around your house and you just don’t know it. Now is the time to check your coin jar, look under your car set, and dig through the couch to see if you have any “worthless” change.

If you’re lucky enough to find one of these coins, go see an appraiser and see just how lucky you are. You might be pleasantly surprised.

1. The 1894-S Barber Dime – Only nine of these dimes are said to exist, and if you find one, you’re likely going to be a millionaire. In 2016, one coin collector paid $2 million for this vintage coin.

2. The 1913 Liberty Head Nickel – The Liberty Head, Shield, and Buffalo nickels are all worth some money. If you have a collection of vintage nickels dating back to the 19th or 20th century that also have a face on them, it might not be a bad idea to visit a coin appraiser and see what you have.

3. The 1943 Lincoln Copper Head Penny – During the 1940’s pennies were made from steel and coated with zinc. These special pennies, however, were made from real copper and can be worth as much as $10,000 each.

4. The 1955 Double Die Penny – This penny looks blurry in appearance due to a misalignment of the die during the minting process. Only a few thousand of the pennies were released, but can be worth as much as $1,800 if in good condition.

5. The 1970-S Proof Washington Quarter – Look for the “S” near the side of the head indicating that it was minted in San Francisco, then on the tail side, look for the year “1941” printed upside down above the word “Dollar.” These quarters are rare, but have been sold for as much as $35,000 at auctions.

6. The 1992 Close AM Penny – This penny has sold for as much as $20,000 at auction. The only thing that makes it rare is the space between the A and M is smaller than it should be.

7. The 2004 Wisconsin State Quarter – There were millions of Wisconsin quarters minted in 2004, but a few of them have an extra leaf on the ear of corn. Collectors have nabbed these coins for as much as $1,400.

8. The 2005 In God We Rust Kansas State Quarter – This printing error occurred due to a grease buildup in the coin dye for the letter “T.” It can be worth hundreds of dollars.

9. The 2005 Speared Bison Jefferson Nickel – You could be $5,000 richer if you own a 2005 quarter that appears like the buffalo has been speared.

10. The 2007 Godless Presidential Coin – As if In God We Rust wasn’t bad enough, how about a coin without God at all? That’s exactly what happened when this coin was made. The motto was completely left off making these coins worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

11. The Ben Franklin Half Dollar – Benjamin Franklin appeared on the half dollar coin starting in the 1940’s. They featured his head and an eagle. However, when John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Franklin’s head was replaced with Kennedy’s in 1964. Because the coin was around for over a decade, they are not exceptionally rare, but are still worth around $100.

12. The 1982 No Mint Mark Roosevelt Dime – All coins have the letter on them showing where they were produced. That is, except for the 1982 Roosevelt Dime that was produced in Philadelphia. They accidentally left off the “P” making the dime worth around $300.

13. The 1804 Draped Bust Silver Dollar Class I – If you’re lucky enough to own one of these coins, you’d better see a coin appraiser soon. These vintage coins have sold for as much as $4.14 million dollars at auction. There are only 14 known to be in existence today.

14. The 1907 St. Gaudens Double Eagle – Congress wasn’t happy with the designer of this coin, Charles Barber. The designer chose to remove “In God We Trust” from the coin rather than removing some of St. Gaudens. This coin was a $20 coin, and is now worth approximately $7 million due to the controversy surrounding the coin.

15. Wheat Pennies – Most of these pennies are worth upward of $300, including the 1901-S, 1911-S, 1914-S, 1914-D, 1915-S, 1924-S, and 1927.

If you were lucky enough to find one of these coins in your change, or know a coin collector that would want to learn more about their collection, please like and share this story.

Recommended
Join the Discussion

COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
More Stuff