Hey all I’m pretty new to the coin collectors world and just have a few questions regarding my 1956 to 1969 pennies. First and foremost I wanted real solid opinion on the condition of my coins and if there’s any real value on them for me to get graded. I’ve watched a lot of youtube videos on various coins and also did quite a lot of studying for the past couple weeks on coins. I have a whole bunch of coins to go through so look out for my various posts, thanks ya !
Well Lincoln cents are a good place to start, their easy to come by. What got you interested in coins?
They appear to be normal cents worth no more than a cent or two. If you have specific questions it is best to post good pictures of both sides of a coin. Some of them appear to have been harshly cleaned, this is considered damage and would have really hurt the value if they had been better coins. Be careful on the youtube videos, while some are quite informative, many are completely useless full of false information.
Ditto on the cleaning. What a great start! Probably not worth the expense of grading. And besides you can’t touch the history you hold when they are graded. Welcome to a fulfilling hobby that will hold your interests a lifetime. It’s held me for more than fifty years!
Here's a post that I wrote for a different thread but it is pertinent to your question as well so I've simply copied it and added to it. For wheat cents (pre-1959) Anything prior to 1935 has value. From 1935 to 1958, it only has value if it is uncirulated. (Circulated late-date wheat cents generally bring around 3 cents each IN BULK -- meaning you may get $3 for a bag of a hundred but no one is going to bother to pay you 3 cents for a single coin). For memorial/shield cents (1959 to today) Circulated examples are worth 1 cent. Uncirculated examples have a small premium value to them depending on the date. For both types, there are a handful of well-known error coins. Coins like the 1955 doubled die and the 1972 doubled die bring big bucks. There is also a less valuable 1995 doubled die. But the odds of finding one of these in circulation is very slim -- although it has been known to happen. Also, there are a few well-known varieties that are hard to find but with a good eye, they can be found: 1970 and 1982 small date vs. large date, 1992, 98, 99, 00 Wide AM vs. Narrow AM, etc. A good guide book will list these varities and explain what to look for. The best advice I can give you is to pick up a copy of the Redbook ("A Guidebook of US Coins") at a local library or book store. And to echo Randy above, this is a hobby that can become a lifetime passion. I've been collecting for over 40 years and it's never gotten old.
Current circulation Lincoln cents. Worth a cent for all but the 1956 which goes for 3¢. The copper in them is worth a bit more than a cent but it is illegal to melt them and illegal to export them in quantity for that purpose. You can buy an album and begin to collect them by date and mint. You can also get them grade (VF-XF IMHO) but it can cost upwards of $50 each and will add nothing to their value.
Give me a break! The copper content is not worth more than one cent because each coin is an alloy and not Grade A copper. If it were legal to melt copper cents (which it is not) it would cost much more to extract the copper. This has been discussed many, many times on these forums. Where have you been? Chris
As others have said, the coins aren't worth much but it looks like you have a good start of a collection. I also agree with the you tube comments. There is so much junk and completely incorrect information that it's very difficult to find the ones with useful information. If you read the posts on here for awhile (and ignore the "fun and excitement" an anonymous forum can generate) you'll start picking up some knowledge. I strongly recommend going out and buying a copy "A Guidebook of United States COins" by Yoeman. Don't worry too much about using it as a price guide, but it's filled with a tremendous amount of info that is great for a new collector
Well I’m a truck driver so I listen to a lot of YouTube videos while on the road and my suggestion box randomly played a video of a penny being worth 6k. At first the money was what interested me being that coins that I have at home can possibly be worth that much money was insane to me. A well or so passes by and with a lot of studying and research on coin history it became a sudden interest for me . Being that I am only 25 and history does excite me , I thought it would be cool to get into a hobby such as this one !
Theoretically, it's possible to find coins worth thousands in your change, but the probability is extremely low. Some of the odds are probably comparable with the powerball, but they never mention that. In other cases, the coins are worth money because they are in the ultimate, pristine condition and you're not going to find that in change. It's almost like searching all of the used car lots looking for 1950's Corvette with 100 miles on the odometer. Theoretically, it could happen, but in all reality... Based on your stated interest in history, starting to save as many different dates and mintmarks of cents (nickels are easy and cheap too), will be a great start. Once again, take a look at the Guidebook I recommended (called the redbook by people in the hobby). It's filled with a lot of historical information about US Coins. Best of luck and welcome to the hobby.
You info was very useful to me in understanding the different varieties of pennies ! I appreciate all the positive comments I am receiving from you all and hopefully my passion for coin hunting takes me as far as it has taken you guys !
My scrap yard buy brass at very close to the price that it pays for either #1 or #2 copper. When's the last time you went scraping metal?
