A penny saved is a penny earned, or so they say. Sometimes, though, a penny saved is worth much more than that. Collectors know that certain pennies, dimes, etc. are highly valuable. Some coins are costly thanks to the metals they were made of, like gold and silver. Others are simply so popular or rare that people are willing to pay a lot of money for them.
For example, in 2005 several Kansas State quarters were died (stamped) incorrectly. Instead of showing “In God we trust,” they displayed a humorous, “In God we rust.”
The unique nature of an error like this drove the value of this particular coin up well beyond 25¢. Depending on whether the ‘T’ is completely or only partially missing for a given piece, one of these Kansas state quarters could be worth tens of dollars.
Whatever the reason for a given coin’s worth, people have been collecting valuable ones since mankind started using them as currency. The long history of this activity means that many collectable coins are not in general circulation anymore. They are so rare and so sought after that they only exist in display cases. Yet others are still out there, though, waiting to be found. One of these is the 2005-P Kansas State Quarter. Below are three more.
Doubled Die Pennies
Around 3,000-4,000 doubled die pennies exist today, marked by overlapping text on the front/back. This feature is an accident; the result of a die (or stamp) having a duplicated image on it during the embossing process. Doubled die pennies come from various years, and the value of a specific doubled die penny differs. The most expensive – from 1958 – sores as high as six figures, because only two are known to be in existence.
2005-D 5C Speared Bison Jefferson Nickel
The buffalo that decorates the back of this nickel looks as though it is being pierced. This is because these coins were accidentally scratched during the minting process. The mark is deep, though not very wide, and looks like a gash on the buffalo’s back leg. Thanks to this minting mishap, the Speared Bison Jefferson Nickel makes our list of valuable coins still in circulation. It’s not given a consistently high value by collectors, but one did sell for over $1,000 in 2010.
1982 No Mint Mark Roosevelt Dime
Like the 2005-P Kansas State Quarter, the 1982 No Mint Mark Roosevelt Dime is missing one important letter. That would be the minting mark, ‘P.’ Every US coin is supposed to have a letter on their face, corresponding to the city in which they were minted. However, this dime from Philadelphia is a valuable exception to that rule. At least 10,000 were made and distributed back in 1982, and now they can be sold for nearly $300.
Now that you know three valuable coins still in circulation, keep an eye on your spare change. You never know if one of those coins could be worth more than its face value.
