Top 5 Valuable Copper Coins: the Hidden Riches in Your Collection

5 Valuable Copper Coins: It would rather be expected that copper and penny are not the best ingredients for valuable coins given the fact that higher coins exist in gold and silver. However, the search for a particular copper coin will make one a millionaire.

With very little variation, the small copper coins currently in circulation in the U. S. are one-cent pennies and these are those with the portrait of Abraham Lincoln on them. The rarest Lincoln penny is worth $2 million to collectors and other Lincoln pennies can be sold for five or six figures.

Like all other coins, copper coins are priced based on the rarity of the particular coin as well as the condition it is in. For instance, the coins that have some features of minting errors on them, an extra lip, or any other special feature will sell at much higher prices than the normal and ordinary coins in circulation. Others that are in mint or nearly perfect condition will fetch much higher prices.

According to The Spruce Crafts, most collectors of U. S. coins started with the Lincoln penny and most were presumably removed from circulation. Due to the fact that many of them are no longer in circulation, one is likely to find the best and the rarest pieces at a dealer or an auction. Such situations led to very high demand and even higher prices.

See below five copper coins, every single one with great value.

1943 Wheat Penny (Bronze Cent Strike)

Another variation is known to the CoinValue website as the “rarest and most valuable wheat penny with an error.” It was the most expensive wheat penny that has ever been sold at $1.7 million, though it presently has a market value of $2.3 million in uncirculated mint condition. Most of it could be purchased and resold for as low as $14,000 to as high as $ 300,000.

1982-D Lincoln Penny (Copper Small Date)

This is a rare coin in two aspects. First, it has counting mistakes that are common and are concerned with numbers. Second, there was no copper version minted in 1982 intentionally, but there were some ‘left over copper planchets’ the U.S. Mint used to strike with zinc, therefore producing the error as deemed by CoinValue. Costs may be anything from $10,000 up to $30,000 and beyond.

1909-S VDB Lincoln Penny

The Indian Head penny was phased out by the Lincoln cent in 1909 by the U.S. Mint. Less than 500,000 of these pennies were produced before the Treasury Department insisted that the designer initials, V.D.B. between the two stalks of wheat, be erased—an action that incited the demand of collectors. This little penny is worth over $117,000 at the moment if you will get it minted in top condition.

1872 Indian Head Penny

Somewhere over 4 million were created and the majority of them ended up being used. There are certain coins that are rare of this date, the reason being their quality or state that is “exceptional.”. Among the more unique ones, one can see that some of the roofs were originally painted bright red-copper and this color is still preserved up until today. These coins are offered at $126,500 and especially if in particularly excellent condition ( let’s take for instance, an MS 67 in a high mint state).

1969-S Lincoln Penny-Doubled Die Obverse

Here is another coin worth at least $126,500 in its MS-64 state—and 80% of the value comes from the doubled date and letters on the obverse. The mistakes were realized in 1970. Initially, the U.S. government thought that they were fake coins and ended up seizing them. Before five of these coins could be accepted to be real, they were recanted and melted.

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