Your Lincoln penny could be worth nearly $2,000 – the exact details to look for in your spare change

A PENNY that is over one century old could put a few thousand dollars in your pocket with the right specifications.

According to a recent posting on eBay, a 1909 Lincoln penny sold for just under $2,000.

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The sale concluded at a staggering total of $1,949.99.

The penny was graded at AU55 CAC, which means the coin is ‘Almost Uncirculated,’ along with being at a 55 rating on the 1-70 Sheldon quality rating scale, per US Coins.com.

The seller noted that the coin specifically offered “rich chocolate-brown surfaces with traces of red color.”

They continued that the coin also doesn’t have significant issues, placing it in a high-quality category.

It’s also an ‘S’ coin, meaning that it was minted in San Francisco.

However, what specifically made this coin valuable is that it is referred to as a ‘VDB’ penny.

As The U.S. Sun previously reported, usually, rare coins have either low mintage or a unique error – and in some cases both.

VDB’s are special because the initials stand for designer Victor David Brenner.

Until the tail end of the 1950s, Brenner designed every penny containing former United States President Abraham Lincoln.

It is said that none of the coins he designed drew more controversy than the 1909 S version – which was the first year of the Lincoln coin.

According to Professional Coin Grading Service president Ron Gruth, this was because reporters had an issue with the placement of Brenner’s initials.

They were located at the bottom and reverse side of the coin.

Gruth said that reporters were claiming that it was “far from inconspicuous and that the initials amounted to free, illegal advertising for the designer.”

It created such controversy that not only were Brenner’s initials removed entirely there afterward but a total of about 484,000 of the ‘VDB’ pennies were ever made.

This means its an incredibly low mintage.

In comparison, more than 72million of the other version of the 1909 coin were made.

Based on official valuing from the USA Coin Book, the price that the 1909 VDB Lincoln penny sold for on December 17 fits the estimated price range.

It is often worth $917 in average condition and up to $2,222 if it’s in excellent, near-perfect shape.

Needless to say, giving a quick look through your pennies and spare change could prove highly profitable if you’re able to find a 1909 Lincoln penny like this in decent shape.

Other rare coins

Nevertheless, there are other coins that you should certainly be on the lookout for.

To try and find some, it would benefit to check out eBay or look through the USA Coin Book to see what specific coins hold value.

There are plenty of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters that sell for thousands, and a specific type of 1943 penny is even worth about one-quarter of a million dollars on average.

Another 1963 penny was recently revealed to be worth about $3,000 as well due to a ‘D’ mint mark.

The U.S. Sun also has coverage of a rare Liberty Head Nickel that sold for $74,000 at auction.

Either way, finding the right valuable coin takes research, but it also takes some digging.

If you keep a piggy bank, or a big jar of spare change, taking five minutes to rummage through it a little bit could prove to be way more profitable than you might have expected.

Looking closely may even find you a 1982 quarter worth $80,000.

They may even hold interesting errors, as The U.S. Sun has the story of a half-dollar with a ‘Bugs Bunny’ error that you should watch out for.