Rare pennies worth money: the 12 to pull from your change
The rare pennies worth money, with realistic values: 1909-S VDB, 1914-D, 1922 no D, 1931-S, 1943 copper, 1944 steel, 1955 and 1969-S doubled dies and more.
Rare pennies worth money: the 12 to pull from your change value chart
| Coin | Circulated | Uncirculated | Top grades / record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1909-S VDB | $600+ | $1,300+ | Mintage 484,000; VDB initials at the base of the reverse |
| 1909-S Indian Head | $300+ | $1,000+ | Mintage 309,000 |
| 1914-D | $150+ | $2,200+ | Mintage 1,193,000; beware added-D fakes |
| 1922 no D (plain) | $500+ | $10,500+ | Strong reverse, missing D from a worn die |
| 1931-S | $65+ | $100+ | Mintage 866,000 |
| 1943 copper (bronze) | $125,000+ | $348,000+ (MS-62 sales, 2021) | About 24 known; record $1.7M (1943-D, private sale, 2010) |
| 1944 steel | $75,000+ | $115,000+ (MS-63) | About 30–40 known; record $408,000 (1944-S, 2021) |
| 1955 doubled die obverse | $1,000+ | $2,000+ | Doubling visible without a loupe |
| 1969-S doubled die obverse | $30,000+ | — | Very few known; the mint mark is NOT doubled |
| 1972 doubled die obverse | $200+ | $300+ | Strong doubling in LIBERTY and the date |
| 1943-D/D repunched mint mark | $100+ | $400+ | 3,000 – 5,000 estimated |
| 1944-D/S overpunched mint mark | $100+ | $340 – $715 | S visible around the D |
Source: Gainesville Coins 10 Most Valuable Pennies (updated 10 Apr 2026), 1943 and 1944 price guides (updated Jun 2025); PCGS CoinFacts, CoinNews and CoinWeek sale records for the 1943 and 1944 errors. Values checked on 2026-10-29. Values are reference ranges for typical examples, from published price guides and recent sales, and are not an offer to buy. Rare varieties and high grades need authentication before you trust a price.
How to check yours
- Sort by date first. Pull every cent dated 1909, 1914, 1922, 1931, 1943, 1944, 1955, 1969 and 1972, plus anything before 1934. Everything else goes back unless it is uncirculated.
- Then the mint mark. Under the date: S for San Francisco, D for Denver, nothing for Philadelphia. The key dates are mostly S and D coins.
- Then the doubling. On the 1955, 1969-S and 1972 doubled dies the letters of LIBERTY and the date are clearly doubled, rounded and separated. Flat, shelf-like doubling is machine doubling and worth nothing.
- Then the metal. Magnet every 1943 and 1944: a 1943 that does not stick, or a 1944 that does, is a potential five- or six-figure coin.
“Pennies worth thousands” articles are written to be clicked; this list is written to be used at a kitchen table with a jar of cents. Twelve coins, the mark that identifies each, and a price range a dealer would recognise. Source and check date are under the chart.
Values checked on 29 October 2026 against the sources named under the chart.
- Key date and mintLow mintage years: 1909-S, 1914-D, 1931-S
- Doubled die1955, 1969-S, 1972: doubled LIBERTY and date
- Wrong metal1943 copper, 1944 steel: a magnet finds them
- ConditionRed, uncirculated coins of any early date
The key dates (low mintages)
1909-S VDB. The first year of the Lincoln cent, with designer Victor David Brenner’s initials at the bottom of the reverse, struck in San Francisco: 484,000 made before the initials were removed. $600 and up worn, $1,300 and up uncirculated. Fakes with an added S exist, so a grading service has the last word on any 1909-S VDB.
1909-S Indian Head. The last Indian Head cent and the only one from San Francisco, 309,000 struck: $300 worn to $1,000 or more uncirculated.
1914-D. 1,193,000 struck. $150 worn, well over $2,200 uncirculated. A much-faked key date: 1914 Philadelphia cents with an added D, and 1944-D cents with the date altered. A genuine 1914-D has no VDB initials on the truncation of the bust; a 1944-D altered to read 1914 still does, the same check PCGS uses to catch 1913 cents altered to 1943.
1922 no D. Every 1922 cent was made in Denver, but a few dies had the mint mark polished away. The valuable variety (“Die Pair 2”) has a sharp reverse and no trace of a D: $500 and up worn, over $10,500 uncirculated. Weak-D coins from worn dies are worth far less.
1931-S. 866,000 struck in the Depression. $65 worn, $100 and up uncirculated; a key date most people can afford.
The doubled dies
1955 doubled die obverse. The famous one: LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and the date are doubled so clearly that no loupe is needed. $1,000 and up even worn, $2,000 and up uncirculated. Faint, flat doubling on other 1955 cents is machine doubling and carries no premium.
1969-S doubled die obverse. Dramatic doubling of the lettering and date; the S mint mark is not doubled, because mint marks were punched separately. Very few are known and the price starts around $30,000. Many 1969-S cents show machine doubling on the mint mark; those carry no premium.
1972 doubled die obverse. Strong doubling in LIBERTY and the date: about $200 worn and $300 or more uncirculated.
The wrong-metal errors
1943 copper. About two dozen known, $125,000 and up, and a record of $1.7 million for the unique 1943-D, sold privately in 2010; a 1943 that does not stick to a magnet and weighs 3.11 g is a candidate. Full tests on the 1943 copper penny page.
1944 steel. About 30 to 40 known across the three mints, $75,000 to $408,000; a 1944 that sticks to a magnet. Details on the 1944 wheat penny page.
The mint mark varieties worth checking
1943-D/D ($100 in Extremely Fine, $400 in MS-63) and 1944-D/S ($100 worn, $338 to $715 uncirculated) are a repunched and an overpunched mint mark. On the 1943-D/D a second D shows to the lower left of the main one; on the 1944-D/S traces of an S show above the D under 10x magnification. Both are covered on the 1943 steel penny and 1944 pages, and the wheat penny guide maps the rest of the series decade by decade.
A realistic word about “rare” pennies
| What you have | What it is worth |
|---|---|
| Common wheat cent (1934–1958), worn | 2 – 10 cents |
| 1943 steel cent, worn | 10 – 25 cents |
| 1944 cent, uncirculated | About 35 cents |
| One of the twelve coins above | $65 to seven figures |
Not sure what you are looking at? The how to identify a coin guide walks the date, mint mark and metal checks, and the end of the penny page explains what the Mint’s 2025 decision does and does not change. Photograph both sides and the coin identifier reads the date and mint mark, so you know which of the coins above you could be holding. If one comes up, the next step is a grading service, not a buyer.
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Frequently asked questions
What pennies are worth money?
The key dates of the Lincoln series, 1909-S VDB, 1914-D, 1922 no D and 1931-S; the doubled dies of 1955, 1969-S and 1972; the repunched mint marks of 1943-D/D and 1944-D/S; and the wrong-metal errors of 1943 (copper) and 1944 (steel). Beyond those, a penny needs to be uncirculated, ideally fully red, to be worth more than a few cents.
Which pennies should I keep from my change?
Any wheat cent (1909–1958), every 1943 and 1944 for the magnet test, and any 1955, 1969-S or 1972 cent until you have checked it for a doubled die. Most wheat cents are worth 2 to 10 cents, so keeping them costs almost nothing, and sorting them by date and mint mark is how the key dates turn up.
Is a 1943 penny worth money?
The common steel 1943 penny is worth 10 to 25 cents worn and a few dollars uncirculated. The 1943 copper penny, an error with about two dozen known, is worth $100,000 and up, and the 1943-D/D repunched mint mark $100 to $400. A magnet separates the steel coin from a copper candidate.
How do I know if my penny is a doubled die?
True doubling shows as a second, separated outline of the letters and digits, rounded like the original, in the same place on every coin from that die. The 1955 doubled die is obvious to the naked eye; the 1969-S and 1972 need a loupe. Flat, shelf-like doubling is machine doubling and carries no premium.
Are wheat pennies worth anything?
Common-date wheat cents from 1934 to 1958 are worth 2 to 10 cents each, more in uncirculated condition. The value sits in the early S and D key and semi-key dates, the 1909-S VDB, the 1922 no D, the 1931-S and the 1955 doubled die; the wheat penny guide maps them decade by decade.