Rare 2013 Penny Errors Worth Money (Full List With Pictures)

A 2013-D Lincoln cent struck on a wrong planchet sold for $1,050 at Heritage Auctions in 2017. That single coin proves what a careful eye can pull from a year most collectors overlook.

The complete 2013 penny error list covers 12 documented varieties, with values running from $5 for a minor BIE crack to four figures for the right planchet mix-up. Here is every error worth checking for, sorted from least to most valuable.

1. 2013 Penny BIE Error (Up to $15)

The BIE error is exclusive to Lincoln cents. A small vertical die crack forms between the letters “B” and “E” in LIBERTY, producing what reads as “LIBIERTY” on the obverse.

The crack develops as dies wear down under repeated striking pressure. Metal fatigue opens a fracture in exactly the spot where the gap between those two letters leaves the die surface unsupported.

Each BIE crack differs in height, thickness, and angle — no two are identical. The error gets its name from the phantom letter “I” that appears in the gap, a byproduct of where stress concentrates on the Lincoln obverse die.

Value: Most 2013 BIE pennies trade between $5 and $15 depending on crack clarity and overall coin condition. Uncirculated examples with bold, well-defined cracks sell at the top of that range.

No major auction house sales for 2013 BIE pennies are documented, so pricing comes from eBay completed listings and dealer inventories. This is a low-cost entry point for error collectors.

How to Identify: Focus on the word LIBERTY along the left side of Lincoln’s portrait. Look between “B” and “E” for a thin, raised vertical line roughly matching the height of the surrounding letters.

Use a 10x loupe — most BIE cracks are too subtle for the naked eye. The line should appear integrated into the coin’s surface, not sitting on top of it like a scratch.

Post-mint scratches tend to be incised into the metal, while a genuine BIE crack is raised above the surface. If the line extends well above or below the letter height or runs at a sharp diagonal, it is more likely general die cracking than a true BIE.

Compare your example against verified BIE photos from major error databases. Fastest confirmation: a raised vertical line between “B” and “E” that matches the font height of LIBERTY.

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2. 2013 Penny Clipped Planchet Error (Up to $50)

A clipped planchet error happens before striking. During blank production, a strip of metal feeds through a punch press that cuts circular planchets — if the strip fails to advance correctly between punches, the next cut overlaps the previous hole, shearing off a crescent-shaped section.

That incomplete blank enters the normal striking process anyway. The die strikes it as-is, leaving a coin with a curved bite missing from one edge where design and rim are both absent.

On 2013 pennies, clips typically appear as small crescents. Straight clips from the strip’s edge occur less frequently and carry a slight premium because they are harder to find in the modern cent series.

Value: Most clipped 2013 pennies sell for $5 to $15 for minor clips. Larger clips removing 10% or more of the planchet push into the $20 to $50 range.

No graded 2013-specific clipped planchet has appeared at major auction, so market data comes from eBay sold listings. Clip size, not condition, is the primary price driver here.

How to Identify: Look for a curved or straight section of missing metal along the coin’s edge. The clipped area will have no rim and no design detail.

Weigh the coin on a precision scale — a standard 2013 penny is 2.50 grams, and a meaningful clip will register noticeably below that. Check the area directly opposite the clip for a weakness in the strike, called the Blakesley effect.

When metal is missing on one side of the planchet, the opposite side often shows a flat or weak rim because metal could not flow evenly during striking. Do not confuse clips with coins that have had pieces broken off after minting.

Post-mint damage produces jagged, irregular edges with stress marks in the surrounding metal. A genuine clip has a smooth, curved edge following the arc of the blanking punch.

Fastest confirmation: a smooth curved missing section paired with a weak rim directly opposite it.

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3. 2013 Penny Lamination Error (Up to $50)

Lamination errors originate in the metal strip before planchets are punched. During rolling and annealing, foreign contaminants — grease, oil, slag, or trapped gas — can become embedded just below the strip’s surface, creating weak bonds between metal layers.

The flaw may not appear immediately. Striking pressure, circulation wear, or environmental exposure eventually causes the metal above the contamination to peel, flake, or crack away from the layer below.

On 2013 pennies with their zinc core and thin copper plating, lamination flaws tend to show as peeling copper skin or raised blisters where the plating separates from the zinc underneath. The thin copper layer makes modern cents more prone to this error than older solid-composition coins.

Value: Small lamination flaws on modern Lincoln cents typically sell for $5 to $10. Large laminations affecting key design areas like Lincoln’s face, the date, or the shield reverse can reach $25 to $50.

Major auction records specific to 2013 lamination pennies are scarce, but comparable modern cent laminations in MS grades have sold for $30 to $50 on eBay. Frequency keeps prices modest.

How to Identify: Look for areas where the metal surface appears to be peeling, cracking, or lifting away from the coin. The affected area may look like a flap or a blister on the surface.

Run your fingernail across suspect areas — a true lamination will have a detectable edge where the metal separates. Check both sides, as lamination flaws can appear on the obverse, reverse, or both.

The separation should follow the metal’s internal grain rather than a clean mechanical line. If the exposed area underneath looks grayish-white, that confirms the copper plating has separated from the zinc core.

Do not confuse laminations with corrosion or environmental damage, which tends to be pitted and irregular rather than cleanly layered. Fastest confirmation: a raised flap of metal that can be gently lifted, exposing a different-colored layer beneath.

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4. 2013 Penny Struck Through Error (Up to $100)

A struck-through error occurs when foreign material — grease, cloth fibers, wire fragments, or other debris — sits on the planchet or die face during striking. The press fires anyway, and the debris blocks part of the design from transferring, leaving a depressed, blurred, or distorted area on the finished coin.

Grease-filled die strikes are the most common variety. Grease accumulates in the die’s recessed areas, preventing metal from flowing into those details and producing a coin with mushy or entirely absent features in the affected zone.

On 2013 pennies, struck-through grease most often affects the shield reverse’s fine lines or the lettering in IN GOD WE TRUST. Thread impressions and wire strikes are rarer and bring correspondingly higher prices.

Value: Grease-filled die 2013 pennies typically sell for $3 to $20 depending on how much design is affected. Struck-through errors involving identifiable foreign objects — wire, thread, staple — can reach $50 to $100 in uncirculated condition.

Specific major auction records for 2013 struck-through cents are limited, but comparable modern cent examples in MS65 have sold for $50 to $80 on eBay. Object strikes consistently outprice grease fills.

How to Identify: Look for an area of the design that appears flattened, blurred, or absent while surrounding details remain sharp. Grease fills produce a smooth, featureless depression, while object strikes often leave an impression of the foreign material — a fabric weave pattern, a linear wire indent, or an irregular shape pressed into the surface.

Check the opposite side directly behind the affected area. Struck-through errors typically affect only one side unless the debris was large enough to interfere with both dies.

The coin’s weight should be normal at 2.50 grams since no metal is missing. Distinguish grease fills from circulation wear — worn coins lose detail gradually across high points, while grease fills knock out detail in isolated patches with adjacent areas staying crisp.

Fastest confirmation: a sharply bounded area of missing detail surrounded by fully struck design on the same surface.

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5. 2013 Penny Doubled Die Error (Up to $215)

Doubled die errors form during die production, not during striking. When a working hub impresses the design into a working die, any slight shift between impressions creates a die carrying a doubled image — and every coin struck from that die inherits the same pattern.

On 2013 pennies, no major naked-eye doubled die varieties comparable to the famous 1955 or 1972 examples have been documented. The known doubled dies for this year show moderate doubling visible under magnification, typically on Lincoln’s eye, coat lapel, or the lettering in LIBERTY.

Both obverse and reverse can carry doubling independently. Coins with doubling on both sides command the highest premiums because they represent a failure at two stages of die preparation.

Value: A 2013-D penny with obverse and reverse doubled dies, graded MS60, sold for $215 at Heritage Auctions in 2020. Single-side doubled dies with clearly visible doubling trade for $25 to $50.

Minor machine doubling — a flat, shelf-like distortion from loose die fit — is worth almost nothing. The intensity of the separation between primary and secondary images is the main price driver.

How to Identify: Use a 10x or higher loupe and examine Lincoln’s eye, ear, and coat lapel first — these are the spots where 2013 doubled dies most commonly appear. Check the lettering in LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST for duplicate impressions.

True hub doubling produces raised, rounded secondary images with clear separation from the primary design. Do not confuse this with machine doubling, which creates a flat, shelf-like displacement lacking the rounded profile of genuine hub doubling.

If the doubling looks smeared or directional rather than showing two distinct impressions, it is likely strike-related, not a die variety. Fastest confirmation: raised, rounded doubling on specific design elements that matches known 2013 variety photos.

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6. 2013 Penny Rim Cud Error (Up to $270)

A rim cud forms when a section of the die’s edge breaks away completely. The missing chunk leaves a void, and during striking, metal flows into that void to produce a raised, featureless blob along the coin’s rim.

Cuds differ from die cracks in a fundamental way. A crack transfers a thin raised line, while a cud is a full break where a piece of the die has physically separated, producing a much larger blank area on the finished coin.

Cud size and location drive value. A large cud that obliterates part of the date or a key inscription commands far more than a small rim bump sitting in an empty field area.

Value: A 2013-D Lincoln Shield cent graded MS65 with a rim cud error sold for $270 on eBay in 2017. Smaller cuds on 2013 pennies typically sell for $10 to $50.

The value scales almost directly with cud size — larger cuds blocking design elements bring the strongest returns. Proximity to the date or mint mark adds further collector interest.

How to Identify: Look along the entire rim for a raised, flat, featureless area that interrupts the normal design or lettering. The cud will appear as a smooth lump with no design detail, because that section of the die was missing when the coin was struck.

The opposite side should appear normal in the cud area, since the other die was intact. Check that the cud is integrated into the coin — it should feel like part of the metal, not an add-on.

Distinguish cuds from rim dings caused by coin-counting machines or roll damage. Post-mint damage creates depressions or uneven distortion, while a genuine cud is raised above the normal rim surface with a flat, unstruck appearance.

Fastest confirmation: a raised, smooth blob on the rim with no design detail, visible as a bump in the edge profile.

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7. 2013 Penny Die Crack Error (Up to $300)

Die cracks form when metal dies develop stress fractures from repeated high-pressure striking. Each crack fills with metal during the strike, transferring a raised irregular line onto every coin produced from that die — the line runs across design elements with no regard for the intended imagery.

Short, thin cracks are routine on modern coinage and add minimal value. The premium kicks in when cracks are long, thick, or positioned across prominent features like Lincoln’s face, the date, or the shield reverse.

Cracks that connect the rim to a central design element form what collectors call a “die break.” These are distinct from cuds because the die piece has cracked but not yet fully separated from the die body.

Value: A 2013-D Lincoln cent graded MS65 with a prominent die crack sold for $300 on eBay in 2016. That is the high end for this error type on 2013 cents.

Standard small die cracks add $2 to $10 depending on visibility and position. Medium cracks crossing major design features trade for $15 to $50 in uncirculated condition.

How to Identify: Look for raised, irregular lines running across the coin’s surface that do not match any intended design element. Die cracks typically cross multiple features — a crack might run from the rim through LIBERTY and across Lincoln’s forehead in a single line.

Use a 5x to 10x loupe and run your fingernail across the suspect line — genuine die cracks are raised and can be felt as a ridge. Scratches from post-mint damage are typically incised into the surface and lack the natural stress-fracture pattern that die cracks follow.

Multiple cracks from the same die can appear on a single coin and may intersect — check both obverse and reverse independently. Fastest confirmation: a raised irregular line crossing multiple design elements in a pattern consistent with metal stress fracture.

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8. 2013 Penny Die Chip Error (Up to $300)

A die chip forms when a small fragment breaks away from the die’s striking face, leaving a tiny cavity. That cavity fills with metal during subsequent strikes, producing a small raised bump or blob on the finished coin in a spot where no design element belongs.

Die chips differ from die cracks in geometry. Cracks are linear, while chips are localized spots — round, oval, or irregularly shaped — sitting on the coin like a misplaced dot.

Position determines collector interest. Chips on Lincoln’s face, inside a letter, or on the shield design draw the most attention because they create an immediately visible anomaly — a chip hiding in an open field area generates far less demand.

Value: A 2013-D Lincoln penny graded MS60 with an obverse die chip sold for $300 on eBay in 2014. That price reflects a chip in a prominent obverse location on an uncirculated coin.

Typical die chips on 2013 pennies sell for $3 to $15 depending on size and placement. Chips that alter a letter’s appearance — filling in the counter of a “D” or “O” — tend to sell higher because the visual effect is immediate.

How to Identify: Examine the coin for small raised bumps or blobs that do not correspond to any design feature. Use a 10x loupe to verify that the bump is integrated into the coin’s surface and matches the surrounding metal’s luster and color.

Distinguish die chips from contact marks — contact marks are depressions, while die chips are raised. Residue or debris can be wiped away; a die chip cannot be removed.

Check the coin’s edge profile near the chip — the surface should transition smoothly into the raised area without sharp boundaries or color changes. If the bump has different reflectivity or appears adhesive, suspect post-mint contamination.

Fastest confirmation: a small raised lump with matching luster that cannot be removed and corresponds to no design element.

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9. 2013 Penny Off-Center Strike Error (Up to $485)

Off-center strikes happen when the planchet is not seated correctly in the collar before the dies close. The die hits the blank outside the intended position, leaving part of the coin with full design and part as blank, unstruck metal.

The percentage of misalignment determines value. A 5% shift barely registers, while a 50% shift leaves half the coin blank — dramatic, and worth real money if the date and mint mark survive on the struck portion.

The 2013 Shield cent’s geometric reverse design makes off-center examples particularly easy to spot. The pattern breaks obviously when even partially missing.

Value: A 2013-P Lincoln penny graded MS60 with a 35% off-center strike sold for $485 at Heritage Auctions in 2015. Pennies with 10% or more misalignment typically trade for $5 to $10.

Reaching $50 to $100 requires 40% to 50% displacement with the date fully visible. Shifts under 5% carry almost no premium regardless of grade.

How to Identify: Look for a crescent-shaped blank area along one side where the die made no contact. The struck portion should show full design detail with a normal rim, while the unstruck area has no rim — just raw planchet edge.

Verify that the date and mint mark (D or no mark for Philadelphia) remain fully legible. Without those identifiers, even a dramatically off-center coin loses most of its premium.

Distinguish off-center strikes from clipped planchets — clipped coins are physically missing metal, making the coin smaller, while off-center strikes retain the full planchet diameter with the blank area simply unstruck. Measure with calipers to confirm the coin is still 19.05mm across.

Fastest confirmation: a crescent of unstruck planchet on one side with full design on the other, at standard diameter.

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10. 2013 Penny Improperly Annealed Error (Up to $520)

Annealing is the controlled heating and cooling that planchets undergo to achieve the correct hardness for striking. When the temperature is wrong — too high, too low, or unevenly applied — the planchet’s surface chemistry changes, producing abnormal coloring that persists through striking and into circulation.

An improperly annealed 2013 penny may appear dark brown, black, purple, orange, or a streaky combination of unnatural tones. The color change is structural, occurring within the metal’s crystalline layers during the failed annealing process.

These errors stand out immediately in a roll or handful of change. On zinc-core modern cents, where the copper plating is only 2.5% of total composition, annealing temperature is especially critical.

Value: A 2013-P Lincoln Shield cent graded MS63 with an improperly annealed planchet sold for $520 on eBay. Examples surface infrequently, making the market thin.

General range for improperly annealed modern cents runs $50 to $200 in circulated grades, with uncirculated specimens pushing significantly higher. Dark, dramatic color shifts bring the strongest prices.

How to Identify: Look for a penny whose color is clearly wrong — not the normal reddish copper, brown patina, or zinc-gray of a damaged coin, but something distinct like deep black, purple, or a mottled blend of orange and blue tones across the entire surface. Weigh the coin to confirm the standard 2.50 grams.

An improperly annealed coin has the correct composition — only the heat treatment went wrong. If the weight is off, you may be looking at a wrong planchet error instead.

Distinguish from environmental damage — coins exposed to chemicals, fire, or soil after minting develop patchy, crusty surface discoloration with pitting, while improperly annealed coins show smooth, even coloring with no corrosion. Fastest confirmation: abnormal uniform coloration across the entire coin with correct weight at 2.50 grams and fully detailed design.

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11. 2013 Penny Broad Strike Error (Up to $555)

A broad strike occurs when the planchet is not fully seated in the collar before the dies close. Without the collar confining the metal, the planchet spreads outward under striking pressure, producing a coin with a larger-than-normal diameter and a thinner profile.

Unlike off-center strikes, a broad strike retains the complete design on both sides. Everything is present — it is just spread wider than intended, and the rim is missing or malformed because the collar’s edge never shaped it.

The expanded diameter makes broad strikes immediately obvious when sorting through rolls. A 2013 penny that physically will not stack flush with normal cents is worth pulling aside.

Value: A 2013-P Lincoln penny graded MS62 with a broad strike sold for $555 at Great Collections in 2015. Most broad-struck 2013 pennies trade between $20 and $100 in circulated grades.

The premium increases with the degree of spread — coins showing significant expansion beyond 19.05mm command higher prices. Uncirculated examples with even spread bring the strongest returns.

How to Identify: Measure the diameter with calipers — a standard 2013 penny is 19.05mm, and broad strikes will exceed this, sometimes by a millimeter or more. Weigh the coin to confirm it is still 2.50 grams, since no metal is added or removed, only redistributed.

Check for the absence of a normal raised rim. Broad-struck coins typically have a flat or irregular edge where the collar would normally form the rim, and the design should be complete on both sides — this is what separates a broad strike from an off-center strike.

View the coin from its edge — it should appear thinner than a normal penny, especially near the expanded perimeter. If design is missing rather than just expanded, you have an off-center strike instead.

Fastest confirmation: full design on both sides, diameter over 19.05mm, and no normal rim.

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12. 2013 Penny Wrong Planchet Error (Up to $1,050)

Wrong planchet errors happen when a penny die strikes a blank intended for a different denomination. In a mint facility running multiple denominations simultaneously, planchets for dimes, nickels, and cents travel through adjacent production lines, and mechanical failure or human oversight occasionally feeds the wrong blank into a press.

The result is a Lincoln cent design forced onto a planchet with the wrong size, weight, and metal composition. A penny struck on a dime planchet comes out smaller, lighter, and silver-colored, while one struck on a nickel planchet is noticeably larger and heavier than standard.

These are among the rarest modern cent errors. Multiple quality-control checkpoints must fail for the wrong blank to reach the striking chamber, get struck, and escape into circulation undetected.

Value: A 2013-D Lincoln penny graded MS64 struck on a wrong planchet sold for $1,050 at Heritage Auctions in 2017. That remains the top documented sale for any 2013 penny error.

Wrong planchet errors on modern cents generally trade from $500 to $1,500 depending on grade and the host planchet’s denomination. Dime planchets are the most commonly encountered wrong-planchet variety for Lincoln cents.

How to Identify: Start with a precision digital scale. A standard 2013 penny weighs 2.50 grams, while a dime planchet weighs 2.268 grams and a nickel planchet weighs 5.00 grams — any significant departure from 2.50 grams warrants closer inspection.

Measure the diameter with calipers. A penny should be 19.05mm, while dime planchets are 17.91mm and nickel planchets are 21.21mm — the design may appear cramped on a smaller planchet or leave extra blank space on a larger one.

Check the color and composition — a penny on a dime planchet will appear silver-colored rather than copper, and traces of the dime planchet’s reeded edge may remain visible at the rim even after striking. Fastest confirmation: a 2013 penny weighing under 2.30 grams or over 4.50 grams with a visibly incorrect diameter.

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Conclusion

The 2013 penny error range runs from $5 for a BIE crack to $1,050 for a wrong planchet strike. Most of the 12 errors on this list sit in the $10 to $300 zone, accessible for any collector working through rolls.

A precision scale, a 10x loupe, and calipers will catch the majority of them. The year’s high mintage means errors are still circulating — the question is whether you look closely enough.