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

If you've been scrounging around for some spare change in your wallet lately, you might want to keep a keen eye out for a particular rare American coin that is worth thousands more than its original one-cent value.

There is a version of the 1995 Lincoln Penny with a few small errors that have been purchased for $5,053 at auction. It's a modern-day penny, and you very well could have it in your possession right now.

So, how can you tell if you have one of these valuable rare coins in your wallet? It's all in the small text engraved on the coin. The 1995 1C Doubled Die Obverse coin is easily identifiable by the errors in the date, mint mark, and lettering that appear doubled with a "3D-like" effect.

You should be able to see the tiny mistakes on the face side above President Abraham Lincoln in the “In God We Trust” inscription as well as the "Liberty" inscription, which both should have the doubling.

If you happen to find a double-die 1995 penny, your next step is to have it graded for its condition to see if it's really worth that whopping $5,000.

You can send it off to the experts like the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), who will give it a thorough lookover and give it an "MS" grade and value.

The last 1995 penny that sold at auction back in 2017 for the five grand had an MS grade of 69, which is one grade away from pristine mint condition.

Produced by the United States Philadelphia Mint in 1995, this penny was created with a striking error, making it one of many valuable coins in the U.S. According to Rarest, about 6,411,440,000 pennies came out of the Philly Mint that year.

"However, the coin is decidedly far rarer in MS69RD, with fewer than two dozen specimens in PCGS holders," the PCGS states regarding the rare 1995 penny.

As a result, the coin is considered extremely valuable and can fetch up to $5,000 for the lucky few who find it.

No luck this time? There are plenty more rare coins minted in the United States that are worth up to a massive $840,000, and you can find them in a list here!