5 Rare and Valuable US Coins
That you might find in your pocket or change jars
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Coin: 1943 Copper Penny
Estimated Value: $200,000+
Background: Most circulating pennies at that time
were struck in zinc-coated steel because copper and nickel were needed
for the the war.
About 40 1943 copper cents are known to remain in existence. They
were most likely made by accident when copper blanks remained in the
press as production began on the new steel pennies
How to spot it: The easiest way to determine if your
1943 cent is copper (and valuable) is to test it with a magnet. If it
sticks to the magnet, it is a steel penny, and not valuable. If it does
not stick, then you might have hit the jackpot...have a expert authenticate
your coin.
Coin: 1982 "No P" Dime
Estimated Value: $100+ (just saw one on ebay for $3000)
Background: Before 1980, dimes minted in Philadelphia
didn't have a mint mark. Starting that year, a small letter
"P" was placed on Philly dimes above the date. In 1982
an error occurred when the mint mark was omitted from a small number
of dimes, leaving them p-less.
How to spot it: 1982 dime, with no "p"
above the date. der...
Coin: 1955 Double Die Penny
Estimated Value: $200 - $1000+
Background: Double dies are caused when from a misalignment
during the production of a coin. About 24,000 1955 double die cents
were put into circulation.
How to spot it: The doubling of the letters and numbers
on this coin is pretty easy to see.
Coin: 2001-P Double Struck New York Quarter
Estimated Value: $400 - $3000
Background: The coin is sadistic and is not satified
being struck once. A production goof keeps the coin in the chamber for
extra striking making a very odd looking coin.
How to spot it: Off center image doubling of Washington
and the Statue of Liberty.
Coin: 1965 Silver Dime
Estimated Value: $9000+
Background: The official production of silver dimes
were discontinued in 1964. Begginning in 1965 dimes were made out of
copper and nickel. A silver 1965 dime is a mistake (and a rare one).
Only a few have been found, but more are believed to still be in circulation.
How to spot it: The silver coin has a silver edge;
the common copper/nickel coin has a strip of brown around the edge.
Weight: A silver dime weighs 2.50 grams, while a copper/nickel
dime weighs 2.27 grams
Coming soon:
An article on Canadian and Internation Rare and Valuable Coins for our
non-US readers.
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