Do you have a valuable penny in your pocket? While most postwar one-cent coins are only worth their face value, several are considered collectible for a variety of reasons. And with billions of pennies in circulation, you might even find some in your change. These include doubled die coins and date size variations.
Here’s a look at some from the “Boomer Years” you may come across.
The 1955 Doubled Die Obverse Cent (Wheat Reverse)
This minting error marked a turning point in US coin collecting. In making the production dies for the 1955 cent, two separate impressions were accidentally made, resulting in as many as 24,000 coins being struck with an extreme double image, making it the most obvious doubled die ever seen on a US coin.
Instead of scrapping the coins, which would be the normal thing to do, the mint decided to release them for circulation, thinking no one would notice.
But the error got a lot of publicity and people began collecting the doubled coins, giving birth to a new specialty…collecting die varieties.
Heavily circulated 1955 doubled die cents can bring as much as $1,000 with top-condition examples pushing $50,000 or more.
1958 Doubled Die Obverse (Wheat Reverse)
Don’t count on finding this coin from the “Wheaties’s” last year in your change. Only three are known to exist. But if you find the fourth one in mint condition, you just hit a six-figure jackpot.
1960 Large and Small Date Cents (Lincoln Memorial Reverse)
The original dies for the 1960 cent caused chipping problems with the date, so midway through the year, a new master die was made. It was the first time in over 50 years that new master dies were made mid-year.
Small date coins from the Philadelphia Mint command slightly more than large dates, but collectors look for Denver coins, too. None are rare, but good quality coins can bring several dollars. There’s also a 1960 Denver doubled die coin that, while also not terribly rare, can bring $100 or more in mint condition.
1961-1963 Cents
In general, circulated Lincoln Memorial coins from this era are only worth face value, and uncirculated coins are worth 25¢ or less. But if you come across any in excellent condition, hold on to them. A 15-25 time return on your money is never a bad deal.
The 1964-D Cent
The US was facing a serious coin shortage in the early 60s, so in a strange attempt to relieve it, the Mint decided to remove the mint mark from coins starting in 1965 so collectors wouldn’t save as many. That policy existed until mint marks were restored in 1968, making the 64-D the last mint marked cent coins for three years (no cents were minted in San Francisco in 1964). This raised the collectability of the 1964-D and uncirculated samples are relatively rare. An MS-64 sample sold for $1,645 at auction in 2016.
