I found a 1969 penny worth $10K thanks to a 'double die' error - but another 1972 coin with the same

Posted by Martina Birk on Wednesday, May 8, 2024

A TIKTOK user has revealed how to spot a penny that's worth $10,000 in your wallet.

You'll need to first determine whether it's the right year and if it has a distinct error on the coin that makes it valuable.

Richard (@coincollection66) posted a video explaining why a penny with an "S" mint mark from 1969 is worth thousands of dollars.

The "S" mint mark, or the small capital letter located on the obverse (head side) of a coin, indicates that the penny was manufactured in San Francisco, California, the TikTok user said.

According to Richard, the error that makes the penny so valuable is referred to as a "doubled die."

"You can see it has a 3D-like effect on the words," said Richard, pointing to the words "In God We Trust" and "liberty" located around Abraham Lincoln's head.

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A double die coin has a partial or fully doubled image, according to The Spruce Crafts.

The coin will have two identical images that are slightly offset, a mistake that occurs during the die-hubbing process.

Another coin that Richard said could be worth a lot of money is the 1972 penny.

Similar to the 1969 penny, Richard said you want to look for a double die in the lettering of "Liberty," "In God We Trust," and the numbers 1972 on the obverse side.

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The 1972 double-died penny is worth $600.

The doubled died coins are what started the error coin collecting hobby in the United States, The Spruce Crafts reported.

Other noteworthy double died coins are the 1955 and the 1996 Lincoln Cents.

Collectors can mistake double-died coins for double-struck coins.

The difference is that double-struck coins are struck more than once while in the coining chamber of a coining press.

Consequently, the first impression is flattened or sometimes obliterated by the second strike.

In contrast, it takes several impressions from the coin hub to make a coin die.

A slightly off-center coin die from the first impression will come from a second impression if the mint employee does not precisely align the coin hub above the coin die.

All coins produced from this coin die will have this doubling effect if it is used to make other coins.

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