When we're little kids, our parents teach us how much each coin is worth. A penny is worth one cent, a nickel is worth five cents, a dime is worth 10 cents, and a quarter is worth 25 cents.
But what if I told you that some of those coins are worth way more than their face value?
We've previously written about pennies, dimes, and quarters, but some nickels are actually the most valuable of all. Before now, the most expensive coin we'd written about was a $1.9 million dime.
But this will blow you away: Some nickels are worth up to $3.7 million.
That's right — these coins that are worth five cents at face value could actually be worth almost $4 million.
But these aren't any old nickels; they're very specific. Keep reading to find out if you're holding onto one of these nickels worth millions!
A lot of us find spare change annoying — it doesn't fit well in your wallet, you can't buy much with it, and it's just not as convenient as bills.
However, there's a silver lining in a pocketful of loose coins: Some of them are actually worth a ton of money!
After learning that some quarters and pennies are worth thousands of dollars, and that some dimes are worth millions, I was curious if any other common coins could be hiding secret million-dollar price tags.
And what I found? Some rare nickels are worth even more than other big-ticket coins.
In fact, there's a handful of early 20th-century nickels that are worth huge sums of money, if you're lucky enough to find one.
The nickel in question is the 1913 Liberty Head nickel, and it is roughly worth a cool $3.7 million.
According to Heritage Auctions, there are only five 1913 Liberty Head nickels — the most famous of the five is known as the Olsen specimen.
In other words, it's an incredibly rare coin, and not easy to find.
The Olsen specimen is so spectacular that it is known as the "Mona Lisa of Rare Coins."
It might sound grand to compare a coin to the most famous painting of all time, but in 2003, the Olsen specimen was sold at auction for $3.7 million.
That sounds like Mona Lisa money to me!
Because there are only five known examples of the 1913 Liberty Head nickel, they are all zealously protected.
Two of the nickels are in museums, and the other three are in private collections.
Although one of the other specimens is the best-preserved of the coins, the Olsen coin is the most famous — it even appeared in a 1973 episode of Hawaii Five-0.
Unfortunately, it's unlikely that you'll find one of these nickels just lying around in your coin jar, but there are some more common nickels that are worth a lot as well.
According to the U.S. Coin Guide, 1916 Buffalo nickels could be worth up to $3,950, while 1877 Shield nickels could be worth up to $2,100, and 1878 Shield nickels could be worth up to $1,100.
Not $3.7 million, but nothing to sneeze at either!
There are plenty of other nickels that are worth more than five cents as well — it's always worth it to hold onto any Liberty Head nickels, any Buffalo nickels, and any Jefferson nickels minted before 1960.
Many of these are still in circulation, so keep your eyes peeled!
You never know, there could be a small fortune wedged under your couch cushions.
If you think you might have a nickel that's worth more than face value, bring it to a coin appraiser to find out what it's worth!
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