Who doesn’t want money? And when it comes to having the most valuable currencies, who wouldn’t feel rich? The kings and queens of the era of gold and silver coins must have had the plush time of their lives, which is equally true for the rich of today (but money can’t buy happiness, mind you!). Having an amazing collection of coins dating back to many centuries ago will surely make anyone jump with pride and would make them flaunt it to their friends and family. If we say we have the list of the most precious pennies of all time, would you like to take a look in your collection box to match it with our list? So, here comes the list of the 30 most-expensive pennies in the world!
1873 Doubled ‘Closed 3’ Indian Head Penny – $12,650
The name is ‘Indian’, but what’s engraved on it is ‘totally American’! As classy as a typical American is, this coin has a specialty that other coins don’t have. Guess what? This Indian One cent penny was designed in two different patterns! The game-changer is its gap in the number ‘three’ in the year “1873”. If this gap is wide, it is considered as “Open 3”. If not, that would be a “Closed 3”. With this dual appearance and being only one million in the circulation of its time, the “Closed 3” coin boasted a value higher than expected. This 3.11-gram coin, an amalgamation of copper, tin, and zinc, was sold for $12,650.
1793 Flowing Hair Liberty Cap Large Cent Penny – $19,950
We don’t know if the people of that era had ‘liberty’ as engraved in this coin in capital letters, but what we know is that this cent with a pretty Miss Liberty has multiple subtypes! The liberty cap cent was type III, which was issued in late 1793. The cap was to pay tribute to the revolutionary war in America. The weight of this cent was 13.48 grams, but it was cutdown to about 11 grams later. This caused many of them to have plain edges, which became a rare characteristic in later years. Now, where is it? This copper coin was sold on eBay for $19,950 (hence, the happy ending!).
1922 Lincoln No D Strong Reverse and Weak Obverse Wheat Penny – $48,000
With Mr. Abraham Lincoln engraved on it, this currency must have had a charm unique to itself which makes it distinguishable, just like Lincoln, the revolutionary! Of the three versions it had, this version of the coin is highly distinguishable. It has prickly sharp edges on the head side due to the fresh die, where the obverse once had a blurry head. It missed the mint mark, and the number of certified coins was even less than the actual number of coins made due to the refusal of attribution from NGC for more than 15 years. Who could have imagined that this 3.11-gram bronze coin could make $48,000 when sold today? As we said, this currency really has a unique charm, undoubtedly!
1922-D Lincoln, No D, Strong Reverse, Die Pair 2 – $63,000
Yet again, Mr. Lincoln came as a game-changer! This coin is officially 3.11 grams in weight and is an alloy of copper, tin, and zinc. Like the last coin, this one is also missing the mint mark due to Denver Mint’s damaged die. The fresh head die explains how this coin had a sharper image on the back than the obverse side. The Die Pair II was considered to be the “true one” among all of its versions. Result? It was sold for $63,000 in Baltimore back in 2018.
1914-S Lincoln Penny – $105,800
Woah! Another version of the Lincoln coin? This proves how valued he was by the people! Coming back to the penny, this bronze coin has a diameter of 19 mm and weighs 3.11 grams. The higher percentage of copper gives it a bright red color that did not fade out due to reduced circulation and good preservation methods (the image says it all!). This penny, along with over four million others of its kind, was minted in San Francisco. It was in August 2006 when this penny was sold unaltered with its original red color. The previous owners' Bowers and Merena were able to make $105,800 by selling it!
1944-D Lincoln Penny – $115,000
By now, nobody must be unaware of why Mr. Lincoln is everywhere. This Lincoln penny is made of zinc-coated silver and weighs about 2.70 grams. This coin was a chance creation made by striking on a blank silver coin in 1943. However, copper planchets were back in trend from 1944. There are pieces of evidence of the silver coins having both “S” and “D” mint marks, but the adjudged number of Denver mints is no more than ten. Heritage Auctions sold an uncirculated coin of the Lincoln penny in August 2007, and it was worth about $115,000 (As the list is increasing, the pennies are also getting expensive, duh!).
1969 S Lincoln Penny Doubled Die Obverse – $126,500
Another of the vintage Lincoln coins collection, this penny, a mixture of copper and zinc weighs about 3.11 grams. It was used to be minted in San Francisco. The possible reason behind the double image on this coin could be the improper preparation of the die. However, what makes this class apart is that, in 1970, people started to forge this doubled die coin to get a bagful of cash. As the news of its forging spread like fire, five coins were destroyed by the government to avoid the consequences. Many years thereafter, an uncirculated, red-brown colored double die obverse penny was sold for $126,500 in January 2008.
1872 Indian Head Penny – $126,500
It’s all shiny because of the bronze in it! This coin- The Indian Head Penny, weighing about 3.11 grams was sold at Milwaukee in August 2007. This wholly-red coin is indeed a rare one and is the lowest minted among the Indian Head range. These coins are not only rare to find these days but are also only found in very poor condition (courtesy-depreciation of the metal). However, this penny was from a fresh die and was found in a perfect and uncirculated condition. It made $126,500 after being auctioned at the Heritage Auctions.
1877 Indian Head Penny – $149,500
Yet another one in the Indian Head penny series, this one’s the rarest of all in this category. As mentioned before, fully red Indian Head pennies are very hard to find nowadays. Also, only 852,500 coins were ever produced (now that is what we call rare)! After being minted, about ten million cents were returned due to economic depression, and 9,821,500 of them were reissued. No wonder that this penny was one of the few to come this far! Its copper-red color remained the as it is when it was sold in August 2007 by Heritage Auctions for $149,500.
1926-S Lincoln Penny – $149,500
The Lincoln penny is back on the list, now with a 3.11-gram penny which was minted in San Francisco. For a reason unknown to all, the number of coins minted was low that year. The details of the typical coins in 1926 were poor on both sides due to the heavily used dies. However, this one-of-a-kind penny exceptionally belongs to the prestigious category of the few coins that were paired with fresh ones. This precious little penny was found in excellent condition and was sold in January 2006 in Orlando. Heritage Auctions made $149,500 by auctioning this beautiful piece from their collection.
1914-D Lincoln Penny – $158,625
The life of these pennies wasn’t as luxurious as the price they were sold at. These pennies had to go through a lot! They have a record of poor survival rates due to complete circulation. Those that survived the race against time are not likely to be in a good condition. Many of the collectors even counterfeited these coins by re-shaping the 1944 D Lincoln Pennies. However, 1914 D cents have smaller mintmarks, and the gap between nine and four is easily noticeable and marks the difference! One of these uncirculated pennies made $158,625 when sold in May 2018. This 3.11-gram coin is an amalgamation of copper, tin, and zinc.
1864 Indian Head Penny With ‘L’ on the Ribbon – $161,000
The uniqueness of this ‘L’ shaped penny lies in the fact that in mid-1864, the government switched from a copper-nickel mix to a bronze alloy, which ended up making this coin an amalgamation of copper, tin, and zinc. As the icing on the cake, the Letter “L” was added on the ribbon’s tail of Lady Liberty. Among the five million of them, only a few remained in uncirculated condition. This 3.11-gram coin was sold by Heritage Auctions at Pittsburgh in October 2011. Its sale value was $161,000.
1856 Flying Eagle Penny – $172,500
Eagles are really majestic and we are sure that this coin too had a charm in its time. This exemplary 4.70-gram coin was made from a copper-nickel mix. Its circulation period was brief. The government shrank its size in diameter and mixed copper with other materials in 1856 due to high costs. Meanwhile, foreign gold and silver coins were also replaced by the Flying Eagle pennies. Somehow, these coins were discontinued with effect and replaced by the Indian Head pennies. Due to its unique design and rare existence, it grabbed eyeballs, because of which, it was sold in 2004 for $172,500.
1943 Bronze Lincoln Penny – $204,000
This 3.11-gram coin copper-red in color and bronze by metal is evidence of error for being one of the most popular coin mistakes in history! It is a combination of copper, tin, and zinc. These pennies were mistakenly minted in bronze in 1943. In the year 1947, a high school student found this coin in his pocket. This iconic coin joined the category of auctioned goods by being sold in January 2019 by Heritage Auctions. However, reports say that back in 2013, Stack Bowers Galleries made $164,500 by selling one of these bronze coins.
1909 V.D.B. Matte Proof Lincoln Penny – $258,500
These are the very first Lincoln pennies (now we know who started the legacy of Lincoln pennies!). At the back, the initials of the designer “V.D.B” were imprinted, although they were removed afterwards. Unlike other pennies with initials, its finishing was done with a matte proof die. Before the removal of the initials, only 1,194 coins were produced in this way, thus giving a ‘no loss no profit’ situation. This 3.11-gram coin was made using copper, tin, and zinc triplet and was found in excellent condition. It amounted to $258,500 when Heritage Auctions sold it back in August 2014.
1943-S Lincoln Cent – $282,000
This 3.11-gram bronze penny is the brother of the previous penny, both being the ultimate examples of errors in coin minting. It was mistakenly struck on bronze instead of a zinc-plated steel planchet. It is generally presumed that only half a dozen and even lesser a number of these coins have survived to date. One of those six coins, minted in San Francisco, was certified as the second finest 1943-S bronze cent. It was sold in California in February 2016 for a value of $282,000.
1958 Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln Penny – $336,000
This coin, which is another one from the bronze category, weighs 3.11 grams. The dual image on it is either the result of damaged dies or some minting error. This coin, belonging to the category of ‘the rarest’ has only three of its kind which has survived to date. This one’s a combination of copper, tin, and zinc. The red color in it is the ultimate game changer! In March 2018, it was sold for $336,000 at Stacks Bowers Galleries Auction at the Baltimore Coin Show.
1944-S Lincoln Steel Penny – $373,750
This coin too was about to become a part of the bronze group by having 95% copper and the rest of it being tin. Unexpectedly, all three mints were used on zinc plated steel planchets by mistake. This carelessness ended up becoming the reason why these coins are now considered iconic and rare, making this error not a reason to grieve but to celebrate. One of these uncirculated pennies was sold in Baltimore. This zinc-coated steel coin weighs only 2.70 grams but surprisingly made $373,750 when Heritage Auctions sold it back in August 2008.
1943 Bronze Lincoln Penny – $1 Million
Another one from the category of ‘wrong things gone right’, this 3.11-gram penny was also mistakenly coined in bronze-like the 1943-D Bronze Lincoln penny. As there was no mint mark imprinted, this was minted from Philadelphia. Reports say that there is the existence of not more than a dozen Philadelphia 1943 bronze cents, of which, two were recently certified. In fact, this is the only coin that is certified as a “red” penny from 1943, minted at Philadelphia. It was sold privately for $1 million in Florida back in 2018.
1943-D Lincoln Bronze Penny – $1,700,000
Instead of zinc-plated silver, the 1943-D Lincoln coin was produced from a bronze alloy (bronze coins are back!). This coin is the only known xerox of its type from the Denver Mint. However, around twenty coins consisting of the bronze alloy were found from each of the Mints in Philadelphia and San Francisco. This Denver minted copper and tin mix coin weighs only 3.11 grams. It was in New Jersey in 2010 that it made $1,700,000 for Legend Numismatics in a private sale.
1795 Reeded Edge Cent – $1.26 Million
One of the rarest of all big cent varieties, the Reeded Edge suffers from the problem of rarity. There are only seven confirmed survivors, all of which, unfortunately, are in the low-quality group. The finest known till now is a VG10 coin graded by PCGS. In 2008, this became one of the first largest pence to be sold for a million dollars and even more. Shockingly, these coins weren’t meant for the general public as they were more of the experimental kind, which explains why only seven are left.
1907 Golden Eagle Wire Edge – $2.8 million
This beautifully sculptured coin with a golden finish was designed by Christian Gobrecht. Though the name is golden Eagle, the figure on it is not an eagle, but a human wearing feather head attire. This Ten Dollar Liberty Head Gold Eagle was minted between 1838 and 1907. It continued to be minted for 69 years, making it one of the most circulated coins minted in U.S history. The front shows an amazing impression of Lady Liberty as she’s donning a Coronet with the word “Liberty” inscribed on it. The back displays a victorious heraldic eagle. With only a few issues existing in graded mint state 64, this coin is undoubtedly quite valuable! One of these coins was sold at an auction in 2017.
2007 C$1M Coin – $4.1 million
In this list, we finally have a coin whose price matches the size (Ouch!). This huge coin, weighing 100 kgs, has been made out of 99.99% pure gold and is considered one of the most iconic coins to date. The face value of it was 1 million, but it was sold for $4.1 million in an auction. Its birth was not for public circulation, but for marking a special occasion, which is why it was minted by the Royal Canadian Mint. Now that justifies the reason behind the inflation of its selling price to such an extent!
1804 Silver Dollar Class I – $4.1 Million
The beauty of metal lies in its quality, no wonder that silver justifies this line very well! The icing on the cake for the beauty of this coin is the front display of Lady Liberty with “liberty” inscribed in it, and the back that shows a golden eagle with 13 stars which makes this design simple yet classic! There are three different classes of the 1804 Silver Dollar, better known as the “King of Coins”. Class 1 of this type was sold for $4.1 million. Although the coin is considered to be minted in 1804, shockingly, none of the coins was minted during that time! It was done only after the 1830s.
1913 Liberty Head Nickel – $4.5 Million
Another coin from the world of beauty enhanced by silver, this one’s considered as one of the most valuable coins in the entire world. Though many coins in this list have been labelled as ‘valuable’, each one has a special feature which the other doesn’t have. Now the reason behind it being valuable is only five of the total coins made it to the public, while the rest were destroyed. Rumor says that there might be a sixth one, but this is not yet official. The finest of these coins had a sale price of $5 million, and it was sold at that price in 2007. The club was resold for an amount of $4,56,0004 in 2018.
1343 Edward III Florin – $6.8 Million
While some coins in this list are quite old, this one is literally ancient! Dating back to 1343, Edward III Florin’s coins were sold for that much of a price as only three of these are known to have survived for centuries. This coin, with roses and crowns surrounding the cross, is popularly known as the “double leopard” and at the time of its inception, it was given away for six shillings. The approximate present-day value stands at $6.8 million, the price it was sold for some years back in an auction.
1787 Brasher Doubloon – $7.4 Million
This coin with a name as amazing as it is with a beautiful eagle in the center of its golden body symbolizes one of the biggest moments of American numismatic history! This was the first gold coin the U.S ever minted. The most expensive coin of this series features the Brasher hallmark initials that were imprinted onto the breast of the eagle; the first and the last of its category. It is completed by the composition of 89% gold, 6% silver, 9% copper, and the remaining being an amalgamation of other elements. Recently, it was kept for sale in the open market.
1933 Double Eagle – $7.6 Million
Infamous as the “notorious coin” of America, the 1933 Double Eagle is considered a very valuable asset by investors, but owning it hasn’t been a child’s play. For a novice, it’s nearly illegitimate to own it. Other than that, the coin has been considered as a bad omen which brings bad luck to the people who get a hold of it. This coin is a beauty with fierce lady liberty holding a firelight which has a ‘touch me not’ vibe, which we feel is also one of the reasons for it being out of the league. Belonging to the category of rare, these coins weren’t meant to be circulated to the general public but somehow, they were released. Only a few of them survived for long years since then.
1907 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle – $7.6 Million
This one can easily be considered as one of the most beautiful coins ever produced by the United States, thanks to the beautiful eagle sculpted perfectly on it. President Roosevelt had appointed well-known sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens for designing this new $29 gold coin in order to revive the coinage system of the U.S, which was hit badly during those days. This coin was majorly minted in a high-relief design. This became a problem after the coin expired, so the relief was decreased in order to ease production.
1794/5 Flowing Hair Silver/Copper Dollar – $10 Million
10 million is too much for a coin, but let’s see what makes it so special (though the face imprinted on it creeps us out). The 1794/5 Flowing Hair Silver Dollar was sold at an auction for an unimaginable $10 million in January 2013. It was the first dollar issued by the United States government in a coin form and was minted for only 1 year. The people who bought this coin had their chest pumped with pride after possessing the prized coin as it had a significant role to play in the coinage history of the U.S.
