Most of us look at the pennies in our pockets and assume they're only worth face-value.
In fact, a ton of folks overlook them entirely as an antiquated coin not even worth carrying anymore. Maybe you can press them for fun at an amusement park, but otherwise you barely remember they still exist.
The valuable pennies listed below, though, could fetch an eagle-eyed collector far more than one cent.
Each of these coins are worth at least $500 and date all the way back to the late 1800s. It's definitely worth taking a look around your parents or grandparents' coin jar just in case it's hiding one of these rare finds.
Of course, it all depends on the condition of the coin. You'll have to get them appraised by a professional to know for sure if you've got a goldmine.
Scroll all the way to the bottom to see which penny is actually worth over $100,000.
And don't forget to SHARE these valuable pennies with your friends on Facebook!
Thumbnail Photo: LittleThings / Jess Catcher
1. 1886 Indian Head Penny
Worth Today: $500
What Makes It Special: There were two different versions of the design printed that year — one with the last feather from the headdress pointing toward the space between the "I" and "C" of "AMERICA" and the second version with the feather pointing between the "C" and "A" instead.
The second version is the more valuable of the two.
2. 1864 Indian Head Penny
Worth Today: $650
What Makes It Special: James Barton Longacre, the man originally responsible for all of the "Indian Head" designs, included his last name's initial in some prints of this coin.
Those featuring the "L" in the ribbon at the back of the Indian's hair have the potential to earn four times as much as those without.
3. 1869 Indian Head Penny
Worth Today: $1,000
What Makes It Special: Only certain, extremely rare versions of this penny can earn collectors the 4-digit price range thanks to a re-punching error that double stamped a portion of the date. They're known as "9 on 9."
Unflawed versions of this penny can also sell for about $750 depending on their condition.
4. 1872 Indian Head Penny
Worth Today: $1,350
What Makes It Special: There are two versions — ones with a bold "N" and ones with a shallow "N" on the word "ONE" written on the reverse of the coin. The shallow ones, being rarer, are worth more.
The same goes for 1870 Indian Head Pennies, worth $1,000, and 1871 versions are slightly more rare and can fetch a bit more at $875.
5. 1909 S Indian Head Penny
Worth Today: $2,250
What Makes It Special: As the last "Indian Head" to be placed into circulation, only 300,000 versions of this penny were released, obviously making them one of the most rare finds for collectors.
6. 1909 S VDB Wheat Penny
Worth Today: $2,479
What Makes It Special: The designer, Victor David Brenner, caused quite the controversy by including his own initials on the coin underneath Lincoln's shoulders. It was quickly taken out of circulation, making it a very rare find.
7. 1877 Indian Head Penny
Worth Today: $3,200
What Makes It Special: Only 850,000 versions of this penny were printed back in the day, making its rarity amp the value — depending on its condition, of course.
8. 1914 D Wheat Penny
Worth Today: $4,268
What Makes It Special: After minting only a little over a million of these pennies with the distinct "D" marking under the year, most were lost over the years making them a rare and potentially highly valuable find.
9. Liberty 1873 Indian Head Penny
Worth Today: $10,000
What Makes It Special: Despite being one of the more commonly found by coin collectors, the most valuable pennies produced that year feature the double-died "liberty" on the crown.
This means they accidentally stamped the word with the coin's cast twice, causing an overlay. There is also a distinction between those with an "open" or "closed" numeral 3 in the date. The open version is shown above.
10. 1943 Copper Wheat Penny
Worth Today: $85,782
What Makes It Special: At this time, pennies were supposed to be steel. A few copper versions were accidentally released after testing the copper plates.
Most of the ones that appear to be authentic versions of this penny are actually fakes from 1948 with the 8 filed down to resemble a 3.
11. 1944 Steel Wheat Penny
Worth Today: $110,334
What Makes It Special: In a reverse of the 1943 version, pennies were supposed to be copper by now. Again, it was likely a mistake while testing steel plates. Don't be fooled by copper pennies coated in zinc!
Do you think you or someone you know might have any of these pennies hiding at home?
Be sure to SHARE the surprisingly valuable coins with your friends on Facebook!
