1909-1982 pennies worth more (2024)

FAQs

Why is a 1982 penny worth $10000? ›

So for the past 30 years, pennies have been made with an alloy comprised of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper, but pennies minted before 1982 are 95% copper and 5% zinc. The price of copper has more than quadrupled over the past 10 years.

It turns out all pennies with a date of 1981 or earlier were made from nearly pure copper, which means they are actually worth three times their face value - three cents. That probably isn't too impressive, but that's just the start.

1943-S Lincoln Cent Sells for $1 Million.

The most valuable 1982 penny is a transitional error caused by the move from 95% copper to 99.2% zinc composition. It's the 1982-D "small date" Lincoln Memorial cent made from copper. There wasn't supposed to be any "small date" bronze Lincoln cents struck in Denver in 1982.

The U.S. made about 7.7 billion pennies in 1983, but only about 5,000 of them are known to have been made with this doubling error, James McCartney, director of numismatics at Stack's Bowers Galleries, tells CNBC Make It. The rarity of these misprinted pennies are what make them more valuable than ordinary pennies.

The 1982-D small date bronze Lincoln cent is a rare and valuable transitional error! So, how do you find them? There are two key diagnostics: the size of the date and the coin's weight. The 1982-D small date bronze weighs about 3.1 grams, versus only 2.5 grams for the far more common zinc issue.

In October 1982, the Denver mint began making the coins with a smaller date. Remember, the Denver mint struck 6,012,979,368 pieces. The number includes both copper and zinc pennies. So, such large numbers made these 1982 pennies have a low market value.

If So, Then You Might Have The Rare 1983 Copper Penny Worth $15,000! There's a rare 1983 copper penny (a 1983-D penny) worth $15,000 -- you could find one in your pocket change! Here's what to look for + Other rare copper pennies.

Which 1940s penny is worth the most? ›

1940 Penny Value: See Which 1940 Wheat Pennies Are Worth $10,000 Or More! See how much a 1940 wheat penny with no mintmark is worth and how much a 1940-D penny is worth. The most valuable 1940 penny (with wear from circulation) is the 1940-S penny.

It's from 1999 and could be worth $4,500 thanks to a little-known error on it. What you want to look for is a 1999 penny with no mint mark, which means no letter under the year on the heads side.

The 1959-D wheat penny is one of the most controversial mule coins ever. It's worth $50,000!

This holy grail penny is a copper penny from 1943. That might sound normal to some, but the U.S. didn't make pennies out of copper in 1943. Instead, they were made out of steel coated in zinc. This was due to copper being used for other purposes during World War II.

The 1944 Lincoln penny is particularly desirable in the eyes of collectors not only because of its design, but also due to its scarcity. Being that there are no more 1944 Lincolns being produced, the scarcity of these coins is constantly on the rise, thus making the coins more valuable.

If your Lincoln Memorial penny has a date before 1982, it is made of 95% copper. If the date is 1983 or later, it is made of 97.5% zinc and plated with a thin copper coating. For pennies dated 1982, when both copper and zinc cents were made, and best way to determine their composition is to weigh them.

The 1982-P Small Date copper Lincoln cent is one of the most difficult memorial cents to find in high grade condition. They are scarce even in MS64 and MS65 grades. It is one of the most difficult varieties to find in high grade out of all seven different varieties of this date.

The 1982-D has been a highly sought-after coin ever since the first one was discovered in Minnesota in 2016 and sold for $18,800 at auction. Now that a second specimen has been found, it gives collectors even more hope of finding one. A second 1982-D Small Date hom*ogenous copper alloy Lincoln cent has been discovered.

The coin in question is a penny from 1909. If you find a 1909 penny with an S on the front and the letters VDB on the back at the bottom, it could be worth nearly $1,000.

What are the key dates for pennies? ›

The 1983-D copper planchet cents are destined to remain quite rare as the change from the old tenor copper (also known as bronze or brass) planchets to the new 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper planchets occurred in October of 1982 at the Denver Mint, at least two months before 1983-D cents were struck.

As a regular-issue business strike, the 1969-S Lincoln cent is not a particularly scarce issue. More than a half-billion 1969-S Lincoln cents were struck and released into general circulation, where they are found in dwindling numbers today.

Additionally, a 1970-S 1C Lg Date, Doubled Die Obverse Large Date graded MS64 BN, sold at auction for $3675.00 in 2013. Moreover, a 1970-S Doubled Die Obverse (Large Date) graded MS66 RD, sold at auction for $9000.00 in 2022. Furthermore, 1970 pennies don't have to be of any variety or errors to be valuable.

USA Coin Book Estimated Value of 1982-D Lincoln Memorial Penny (Copper - Large Date Variety) is Worth $0.33 or more in Uncirculated (MS+) Mint Condition. Click here to Learn How to use Coin Price Charts.

At the time, Potter estimated that a Mint State 1969-S doubled die obverse is worth at least $44,000 and maybe as much as $100,000 or more depending on the grade it gets. Experts estimate that the number of known specimens of this 1969-S doubled die penny is only about 40 to 50 coins.

Pre-1982 pennies contain a much greater percentage of copper. Post-1982 pennies are mostly zinc.

Upon changing the composite from solid copper to the zinc and copper alloy, so to did the weigh of the coins themselves. Prior to 1982, a penny made completely of copper was significantly heavier than the zinc and copper alloy counterparts.

What's special about the 2009 penny? ›

In 2009, the U.S. Mint made four special penny designs to celebrate Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday. It was also the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln penny, which the Mint first made in 1909. The image of Lincoln remained on the obverse (heads) of all four cents in the new program.

In general, a 1944 Wheat Penny in good condition is worth about $0.15, far more than its face value, but one in mint condition can be worth up to $2.00 or more depending on how fine the condition is. The value of a 1944 Wheat Penny also depends on how many of the coins were minted.

1977 D Lincoln penny

Most uncirculated pieces cost $0.10 to 0.25 cents, but some well-preserved coins are worth $40 to $150. The most expensive 1977 D Lincoln penny with red toning was sold at Heritage Auctions in 2016 for $7,050.

The Rare 1943 Penny

If your 1943 penny is made out of copper, it is worth quite a bit of money, generally $10,000 or more! The reason is that the 1943 copper penny is an error coin. The United States Mint accidentally used the wrong planchet metal when striking the coin.

While they are all quite rare, the 1944-S is the most valuable of the three – with a reported mintage of just two. Meanwhile, many coin experts believe there are a few that have yet to be discovered.

Due to a mix-up at the mint back in 1992, a proof die was used for the reverse of the coin before it was supposed to be used starting in 1993. The distance between the bottom of the AM in AMERICA is a distinguishing factor, as is the distance between the FG initials and the base of the Lincoln Memorial.

The 1943-D/D steel penny with a repunched mintmark is highly sought after as it fetches $100 for fine-40 up to $400 for mint state-63 variety. Though the mintage figure is unknown, estimates show about 3,000-5,000 may exist across the grades. The non-error steel-made cents are not rare.

$500-$800 +Value.

The 1982-D small date bronze Lincoln cent is a rare and valuable transitional error! So, how do you find them? There are two key diagnostics: the size of the date and the coin's weight. The 1982-D small date bronze weighs about 3.1 grams, versus only 2.5 grams for the far more common zinc issue.

Are 1982 copper pennies rare? ›

It is a well known fact that pennies minted from 1982 and back are made of 95% copper. These copper pennies are not rare at all.

For pennies dated 1982, when both copper and zinc cents were made, and best way to determine their composition is to weigh them. Solid copper pennies weigh 3.11 grams (+/- 0.130 g.), whereas the copper plated zinc pennies weigh only 2.5 grams (+/- 0.100 g.).

The Most Expensive Penny

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.

USA Coin Book Estimated Value of 1982 Lincoln Memorial Penny (Copper - Large Date Variety) is Worth $0.39 or more in Uncirculated (MS+) Mint Condition. Click here to Learn How to use Coin Price Charts. Also, click here to Learn About Grading Coins.

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.