By: Hettie Basil Lighttower
Thanks to all of you who have expressed gratitude for my recent articles of plants in the fall. The information about goldenrod and milkweed have sparked memories and curiosities alike! One reader stated she wished she had paid more attention to her grandmother when her grandmother said, “Come on, it is time to pick some spring greens!” Milkweed shoots were among those greens.
Our grandparents also knew how and learned quickly about pinching pennies. Do you save your pennies? Some folks still use a large glass jar to collect their change. And now days the banks have those fabulous change machines that separates and packages the different types of coins lickety-split! If you are one of those people who have listened to your grandparents and learned a thing or two, this article is going to excite you immediately! And for those of you that are slow learners, take my hand and I will show you why it is important to save your change……. Especially pennies!
I ran across a video aka podcast recently and it was all about pennies. Over the years, things have gone wrong or haywire in the penny factory. And when that happens certain pennies are worth more than a penny! Here’s a quick run down of what to look for and approximately how much they could be worth.
A 1969 penny…. With an ‘S’ under the 1969…. If it has double print of the date or word liberty it could be worth $66,000. As a matter of fact they have sold to collectors for that.
A 1998, 1999, or 2000 penny that has a double space between the ‘A’ and the ‘M’ on the back in the word ‘America’…. It is worth cashing in!
In 1992 with ‘D’ for Denver under the date where the ‘A’ and ‘M’ are touching…. Those have sold for $676.
A 1982 with ‘D’ for Denver if the word ‘liberty’ is thicker than all the rest of the font in has sold for $15,000-$18,000.
A 1983 penny was a transitional year of when they were using less copper in pennies. So if it weighs 3.1grams which is before it was messed with…. That penny is worth $4,800.
In 1984 and on up if the earlobe of Lincoln is a double earlobe that penny is worth $50-$200 depending on the condition of the penny.
Then back to 1972 if the words ‘In God We Trust’, the year, and the word ‘Liberty’ are double print which kinda looks like a shadow of the words, that is a pretty penny worth $642 ungraded or $4,000 graded!
In 2001 with a ‘D’ under the year for Denver, there were a group of pennies made aka muled with the accident of the dime’s back on the back instead of the regular penny back to it. The back of a coin is called a reverse. So, a penny with a dime reverse in the year 2001 is a whopping $78,000-$114,000 depending on the condition of the coin!
A 2021 set of pennies have a large die crack across the front of them. And for $180 that is a good find as well.
Then lastly, in 2023 the initials on the bottom left of Lincoln which all pennies have…. In this year some are incorrect. The initials should be VDB. But the ones that have VDBV in error have sold for $50-$600 depending on their condition, $600 being in mint condition.
If you were to come across any of these pretty pennies and hidden treasures, you can get them graded, certified and learn how to sell them to collectors at this website: pcgs.com/submissionguide.
This is a shorter column than usual but definitely worth the read! Send in 10% of your finds to [email protected] haha…. and good luck!!! And you’re welcome! Kindness is contagious~*