Most pennies are worth exactly 1 cent. But specific dates, mint marks, and mint errors are worth real money — from $50 for common key dates to over $1.1 million for the rarest doubled dies and wartime errors. Check your penny’s year below, or snap a photo and let our identifier do it for you.
Check a Penny by Year
Enter any year from 1859 to 2025 to see its typical value range and what varieties to look for.
Penny Value Checker by Picture
Check How Much Your Penny Coin is Worth
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Free · No sign-up required · Works for Indian Head, Wheat, Memorial and Shield cents. Not sure what year or variety you have? A photo of both sides is the fastest way to find out.
The Most Valuable Pennies: Key Dates, Errors & Varieties
These are the pennies collectors pay serious money for, across every design from Indian Head to modern Shield cents. Each falls into one of three groups: Key Dates (low-mintage years that are scarce in any condition), Errors (mistakes at the mint, like the wrong metal), and Varieties (die differences like doubled lettering). Highlighted rows can reach six figures.
| Coin | Series | Why it’s valuable | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 Doubled Die Obverse | Wheat | Variety Only three examples confirmed — the rarest Lincoln doubled die | $1,136,250 auction record (2023) |
| 1943-D Bronze | Wheat | Error Struck on a leftover bronze planchet during the steel-cent year; one known from Denver | $840,000 auction · $1.7M private sale |
| 1943-S / 1943 Bronze | Wheat | Error Roughly two dozen known across all mints; the most famous U.S. error coin | $372,000 – $504,000 records |
| 1944-S Steel | Wheat | Error The reverse error: a leftover steel planchet struck in the bronze year | $408,000 auction record |
| 1974-D Aluminum | Memorial | Error Experimental aluminum composition that was never released | $10,767+ · up to $180,838 MS |
| 1969-S Doubled Die Obverse | Memorial | Variety Dramatic doubling on LIBERTY and the date; a handful certified | $2,203+ worn · up to $85,920 MS |
| 1909-S VDB | Wheat | Key Date First-year rarity: only 484,000 struck with the designer’s initials | $700+ worn · $345,375 record (2023) |
| 1914-D | Wheat | Key Date Low mintage and few saved — the classic Lincoln key date | $150+ worn · $158,625 record |
| 1877 Indian Head | Indian Head | Key Date Lowest-mintage business strike of the entire series | $600+ worn · $149,500 record |
| 1992 Close AM | Memorial | Variety Reverse die of the wrong style — the AM in AMERICA nearly touch | $263+ worn · up to $15,777 MS |
| 1922 No D | Wheat | Error A filled die erased the Denver mint mark in a year only Denver struck cents | $450+ worn · $3,000+ MS |
| 1955 Doubled Die Obverse | Wheat | Variety The most famous doubled die — doubling visible to the naked eye | $1,000+ worn · $2,500+ MS |
| 1970-S Doubled Die Obverse | Memorial | Variety Strong doubling on LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST | $136+ worn · up to $2,518 MS |
| 1972 Doubled Die Obverse | Memorial | Variety Bold doubling on the date and lettering; thousands exist, demand stays high | $21+ worn · up to $997 MS |
| 1931-S | Wheat | Key Date Depression-era mintage of just 866,000 | $60+ in any grade |
| 1982-D Small Date Bronze | Memorial | Error Transitional error from the copper-to-zinc switch; a handful known | $10,000+ · $18,000+ MS |
Auction records verified against PCGS/Heritage/GreatCollections sales · Memorial data from our year charts · Updated 2026
Want the complete lists? See the Top 100 Wheat Pennies, Top 100 Lincoln Pennies, and the full Penny Error List by Year.
Penny Value Charts by Series
Every U.S. penny belongs to one of three main series. Find yours below for the complete year-by-year value chart with prices in five grades, updated regularly from live market data.
Indian Head Penny
- Common dates$1 – $15
- Key dates1877 · 1888/7 · 1909-S
- Top value$24,000+ (1888/7)
Lincoln Wheat Penny
- Common dates$0.05 – $2
- Key dates1909-S VDB · 1914-D · 1922 No D
- Top value$1.1M+ (1958 DDO record)
Lincoln Memorial & Shield Penny
- Common datesFace value – $20 MS
- Key varieties1969-S DDO · 1992 Close AM
- Top value$180,838 (1974-D Aluminum)
Flying Eagle Penny
- Common dates$15 – $150+
- Key date1856 (pattern)
- Top value$24,000+ (1856)
How to Check What Your Penny Is Worth
Find the date and mint mark
The mint mark is the small letter under the date: D (Denver), S (San Francisco), W (West Point), or none (Philadelphia). The same year can differ 100× in value between mints.
Look for varieties and errors
Check the date and lettering for doubling, missing mint marks, and the wrong metal. Errors — not age — create most five- and six-figure pennies.
Judge the condition
Wear on Lincoln’s cheek, jaw, and the wheat lines separates a $0.05 coin from a $50 one. Coins with no wear at all (Mint State) carry the biggest premiums.
Found Something Valuable? Do This Next
Don’t clean it. Cleaning a coin permanently damages the surface and can cut its value by half or more — collectors and grading services can always tell.
Get it graded if it’s worth $100+. Professional grading by PCGS or NGC authenticates the coin and locks in its condition, which is exactly what serious buyers pay for. Graded coins consistently sell for more than raw coins, so the grading fee usually pays for itself on anything valuable.
Compare selling options. Rare dates and certified coins do best at auction or with specialist dealers; common wheat cents typically sell in bulk lots. Whatever the coin, check recent sold prices for your exact date, mint mark, and grade before accepting an offer.
Penny Value FAQ
How can I tell if my penny is valuable?
Check three things in order: the date and mint mark (key dates like 1909-S, 1914-D, 1931-S, and 1969-S are valuable in any condition), the metal (a bronze 1943 or steel 1944 is a major rarity), and doubling in the date or lettering (doubled dies from 1955, 1969-S, 1972, and 1995 all carry premiums). If any of the three looks unusual, look up your exact year above or photograph both sides with the identifier tool.
What years of pennies are worth money?
The most valuable regular-issue years are 1877 and 1888/7 (Indian Head); 1909-S VDB, 1914-D, 1922 No D, and 1931-S (Wheat); and 1969-S, 1970-S, 1972, and 1992 doubled-die or Close AM varieties (Memorial). The rarest of all are the 1958 Doubled Die ($1.1M+ record) and the wartime metal errors from 1943 (bronze) and 1944 (steel), which reach hundreds of thousands of dollars.
How do I tell if my 1982 penny is copper or zinc?
Weigh it on a scale accurate to 0.1 g. Bronze (copper) 1982 cents weigh 3.11 g; copper-plated zinc cents weigh 2.5 g. There are seven common 1982 varieties, but the 1982-D Small Date in bronze is a five-figure rarity — weight is the only reliable way to screen for it at home.
Is my 1943 penny valuable?
Probably not — but check anyway. In 1943, cents were struck in zinc-coated steel to save copper for the war, and steel cents are common ($0.20–$5 in circulated condition). The valuable coin is the error: a 1943 struck on a leftover bronze planchet. The test is a magnet — steel sticks, bronze doesn’t. Genuine 1943 bronze cents have sold for $372,000 to $840,000 at auction, and the unique 1943-D brought $1.7 million in a private sale. Beware of copper-plated steel fakes, which still stick to a magnet.
Should I clean my old pennies before selling them?
No. Cleaning removes the original surface and leaves microscopic marks that grading services flag as damage. A cleaned key-date coin can lose 50% or more of its value. Leave the coin exactly as you found it and let a professional evaluate it.
Are pennies made before 1982 worth more for their copper?
Cents struck before mid-1982 are 95% copper, and their metal content is worth roughly 2–3 times face value at current copper prices. However, it is illegal to melt U.S. cents, so this “melt value” is a floor for bulk pricing rather than money you can directly cash in. Collectible value from dates, varieties, and condition is where the real premiums are.
How we price pennies: values on this page and in our year-by-year charts are compiled from recent auction records, certified-coin sales, and dealer price lists, and are refreshed regularly by our pricing system. Figures represent typical retail values; actual offers vary with grade, eye appeal, and market demand. For coins potentially worth $100 or more, we recommend professional authentication by PCGS or NGC before selling.
