If You Have These Rare Pennies, You Could Be Rich (2024)

You never know what items sitting around your house could actually be worth a lot of money. As it turns out, some rare pennies are worth tons of cash. You might be surprised how much these are worth, too, as the most valuable penny of 2024 is worth more than $400,000. So, make note that if you have these special pennies, it could be like winning the lottery.

Rare Pennies That Are Worth a Lot

I actually collect coins. My uncle has been giving me coins ever since I was a baby. He even gave my mom a special coin the day I was born. Each year for Christmas, he also gives me some new coins. So, learning about rare pennies and coins is certainly fun for me and familiar. I highly doubt that any of the coins my uncle has given me are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, but it’s worth a try. You might be surprised with how much the coins sitting around your home are worth.

Cointrackers.com has put together a new tally of the most valuable pennies in 2024. They note that the coin values and how much they’re worth is “not based off common errors like double dies, but rather coins that were issued into circulation as is.” They also state that “As of now our database consists almost entirely of coins from 1880s-2024, as we wanted to focus mostly on coins that were readily accessible and possibly still in circulation.”

As you may have guessed, older coins are worth more. That’s not always the case, but it’s usually older coins that are very rare. That said, Contrackers.com’s list of valuable coins fall between the years 1857 and 1944. The oldest coin is the No. 3 most valuable in the U.S., which is an 1856 Flying Eagle Penny worth $25,000. The newest coin is actually the most valuable, but 1944 isn’t new. That’s still an old coin. The 1944 Steel Wheat Penny is worth an impressive $408,000. That’s seriously better than winning the lottery. The second most valuable penny in 2024 is the 1943 Copper Wheat Penny at $250,000. This list has coins that range in worth from $1,200 to $408,000. The most valuable coins are “wheat pennies,” which by definition is “a U.S. one-cent coin produced from 1909 to 1959, having a portrait of Abraham Lincoln on the obverse and a pair of ears of wheat on the reverse,” according to YourDictionary.com. So, look inside the folds of your couches and see if you have any of these rare pennies around.

Anne Erickson started her radio career shortly after graduating from Michigan State University and has worked on-air in Detroit, Flint, Toledo, Lansing and beyond. As someone who absolutely loves rock, metal and alt music, she instantly fell in love with radio and hasn’t looked back. When she’s not working, Anne makes her own music with her band, Upon Wings, and she also loves cheering on her favorite Detroit and Michigan sports teams, especially Lions and MSU football. Anne is also an award-winning journalist, and her byline has run in a variety of national publications. You can also hear her weekends on WRIF.