The United States Mint changed the composition of the penny from 95% copper to 5% zinc to 97.5% zinc to 2.5% copper in 1972. This was done to reduce production costs, but it also meant that fewer copper pennies were minted that year. As a result, copper 1972 pennies are far more scarce and valuable than zinc ones.
The 1972-D Lincoln Cent is very common in circulated grades all the way up t MS65 condition. However, in MS66 condition it is scarce and it compares to the 1969-D and 1973-D in scarcity in this grade and higher. In Ms67 condition it is one of the scarcer issues in the Memorial Lincoln Cent series.
The 1959-D wheat penny is one of the most controversial mule coins ever. It's worth $50,000! Here's everything you could possibly want to know about the 1959-D penny error!
Watch for low mintage years like 1955-S, 1939-D, 1933-D, and 1931-S. Depending on condition, rarer pennies are worth more. Look for all-copper pennies. Old pennies made before 1982 are 95% copper, which gives them an inherent metal value. This translates to the pennies being worth more.
If you ask a coin collector, “what is the rarest Australian coin?”, they would likely say the 1930 penny. While not technically correct, 1930 pennies are prized possessions amongst collectors. Known as 'the coin not meant to be struck', they were minted during a tumultuous time – in the middle of the Great Depression.
On the obverse side of the coin the date and the design elements are minted twice onto the coin. This is called a doubled die error. The 1972 penny with no mint mark doubled die error coin is worth around $600 in uncirculated condition with an MS-65RD grade.
One of the rarest pennies cost a Beverly Hills man a pretty penny. At an auction last Thursday, Kevin Lipton shelled out $2,585,000 for the Birch Cent, a penny made in 1792 that is named after its engraver, Robert Birch. It's the most money ever paid for a one-cent piece.
1943 Wheat Penny (back)
There was still material left in the mint presses from the 1942 production so they accidentally made one batch out of copper. Only about 20-40 of those pennies are out there. A used one, as most are, can net you from $100,000 – $500,000.
As the nation's most valuable coin, the Proof 1930 Penny inspires a feeling of national pride in Australians from all walks of life. It is the nation's very own 'million-dollar' penny and every Australian somehow seems connected to it.
1992 Lincoln Penny Sells for Over $20,000 | Coin worth, Coins, Rare coins worth money.
1914-D Wheat Penny
The 1914-D Lincoln Wheat penny is another key date in the series, and is the most valuable non-error penny. With a mintage of 1,193,000 it has one of the lowest mintages in the Wheat Cent series. It can be difficult to find uncirculated coins as they are much more rare.
Which pennies are worth $1,000? Some examples of pennies worth $1,000 or more include the 1955 Doubled Die Lincoln Cent, the 1909-S Indian Cent, the 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent and the 1914-D Lincoln Cent. The better the quality of the coin, the more it could be worth.
The penny has a face value of $0.01 and was minted in 1972 at the Denver Mint. Despite its abundance, the 1972 Denver penny can still be valuable to collectors. It can be purchased in good condition for as little as $0.01, but in uncirculated condition, it can sell for $0.25 or more.
According to NGC Price Guide 2023, a 1972 coin in the circulated condition is worth between $1.05 and $1.50. Coins graded MS66 can fetch between $50 and $550, depending on your coin condition. There are a few things to keep in mind before selling your coins.
Most 1972 silver dollars aren't rare. But base metal coins graded mint state 66 and above certainly are. And even circulated coins of the Type 2 variety are uncommon. Look closely at the Earth on the obverse to identify which type of Philadelphia coin you have.
The 1930 penny has remained Australia's most well-known rare coin ever since one was first discovered by Sydney coin collector Fritz Schaefer between 1940 and 1944. Other "hard to get" years include 1925 and 1946, although they are not as valuable as the 1930 penny.
Now within the penny series, there are six dates that stand out for their rarity ... 1925, 1930, 1931, 1937, 1945 and 1946. Of these six dates the 1930, 1937 and 1945 Pennies are regarded as elite coins.
RARE 1943 COPPER PENNY WORTH A MILLION DOLLARS - CHECK YOUR POCKET CHANGE FOR VALUABLE COINS!! The 1943 copper penny is a one million dollar penny!
But, for Aussie coin collectors, the “holy grail” is an original Australian penny, of which around six have sold for roughly $1 million each , according to The History of Money. However, even regular 1930s Australian pennies can sell for around $50,000 at auction.
The first 1943 copper cent was sold in 1958 for more than $40,000. In 1996, another went for a whopping $82,500. But those sales pale in comparison with the latest: this week, a dealer in New Jersey sold his 1943 penny for a staggering $1.7 million.
A one-of-a-kind 1943 U.S. penny accidentally struck in copper rather than zinc was sold by a New Jersey dealer in 2010 for $1.7 million, with the proceeds given to charity.
Over 5.5 billion pennies were printed in 1972, but roughly 20,000 of them have a distinguishable error if you look close.
The beauty of the 1973-S penny is that it's worth more than its face value, and that's also because of its copper composition. In 2016, an MS67RD graded 1973-S penny was sold for $2,232.50 in an auction.