Did you know there are several kinds of 2000 pennies that are worth more than face value?
In fact, if you started looking through your coin jar or pocket change, there’s a good chance you would find a 2000 penny worth much more than just one cent.
But before you start searching for rare and valuable 2000 pennies worth big bucks, you need to know exactly what you’re looking for!
Following are the features to look for on your 2000 pennies that will reveal if you have a valuable 2000 penny or not…
How Much Is A 2000 Penny Worth Today?
There are 3 types of 2000 pennies, and each has a different value.
Let’s explore those values now…
2000 Penny Value (No Mintmark)
The 2000 Lincoln penny with no mint letter under the date was struck at the Philadelphia Mint, which did not add mintmarks to its pennies at the time. Therefore, a 2000 penny with no mintmark is normal and is one of the more common coins found in spare change. The Philadelphia Mint struck 5,503,200,000 pennies in 2000, so the coin is extremely common and can be readily found in circulation.
Because the 2000 penny is so common, worn examples have no extra value unless the coins contain errors or varieties. A typical 2000 penny that you find in your pocket change is worth its face value — or one cent.
But that doesn’t mean all 2000 pennies are worth only face value!
- Uncirculated 2000 pennies (those that have no wear and have never been spent as money) are worth more than face value. The average uncirculated 2000 penny is worth 10 to 30 cents. Some are even worth more than that.
- The most valuable 2000 Lincoln penny without a mintmark was graded MS69RD by Professional Coin Grading Service and sold for $3,220 in 2008!
2000-D Penny Value
The 2000-D penny was struck at the Denver Mint in Colorado. That mint places a little “D” mintmark underneath the dates of the pennies it strikes. There were a total of 8,774,220,000 2000-D pennies made, making them extremely common.
Unless you find a 2000-D penny with an error or variety (mentioned below), your 2000-D pennies are worth face value — or one cent.
Some common 2000-D pennies that have no errors or varieties are worth more than face value.
Which ones are they?
- Uncirculated 2000-D pennies (those which have no wear and have never been spent as money) are worth 10 to 30 cents apiece.
- Especially nice uncirculated 2000-D pennies are worth far more… The most valuable 2000-D penny ever sold in a public auction was graded MS69RD by Professional Coin Grading Service for a whopping $2,415!
2000-S Penny Value
The United States Mint in San Francisco struck a relatively small number of special 2000 pennies for collectors.
These collectible 2000-S proof pennies were struck twice on high-tonnage presses using specially prepared dies and polished blanks — to impart a beautiful, mirror-like surface and help show every detail.
The 2000-S pennies saw a mintage of 4,047,993 pieces — which is significantly smaller than the billions upon billions of circulation strikes made in Philadelphia and Denver.
The U.S. Mint didn’t distribute 2000-S pennies into circulation, but rather sold them in 2000 proof sets (which also contain proof versions of other coins made during that year).
How much are they worth?
- A typical 2000-S penny sells for $3 to $5.
- The most valuable 2000-S proof penny sold for much more. In 2004, someone paid $2,645 for a 2000-S penny graded by Professional Coin Grading Service as PR70DCAM — a numismatically perfect grade!
IMPORTANT: What Is The Grade Of Your 2000 Penny?
To determine the true value of your 2000 Lincoln cent, you first need to know what condition (or grade) your coin is in.
Grab a coin magnifier and a copy of the U.S. Coin Grading Standards book. Then, watch this video to see how to grade coins yourself at home:
Rare 2000 Penny Errors And Their Values
So, what is the error on the 2000 penny?
There are several kinds of errors and varieties worth looking for among these millennial-era pennies.
Let’s take a look at some of the most valuable ones…
2000 Wide AM Penny Error
One of the most popular errors on a 2000 penny is the 2000 Wide AM error.
You’ll be able to tell if you have a 2000 Wide AM penny by flipping it over — so you’re viewing its back (also known as the reverse side of the coin).
- If the bottoms of the letters “A” and “M” are touching in the word “AMERICA,” you have a normal 2000 penny.
- If there’s an obvious gap between the bases of the letters, you have a 2000 Wide AM error penny.
The reason some 2000 pennies feature a gap between the bases of the “A” and “M” is that the Wide AM dies were supposed to be used for striking proof Lincoln pennies. But apparently at least one of the proof does was accidental used for making circulation strikes.
How much is this error penny worth?
- A typical 2000 Wide AM penny is worth $10 to $25, possibly more.
- The most valuable 2000 Wide AM penny ever sold in public auction was graded MS68RD by Professional Coin Grading Service and sold for $800 in 2012.
2000 Cheerios Penny Error
If you’re of a certain age, you might remember a special promotion that cereal juggernaut Cheerios offered early in the year 2000. The promotion included a free, newly minted 2000 penny in 10 million boxes of Cheerios. These pennies dated 2000 with no mintmark were sealed onto black-and-yellow cards and distributed around the country.
Many, if not presumably most of the 2000 Cheerios pennies were ripped out of their special holders and spent as money or tossed into coin jars and forgotten.
How much is it worth?
- A 2000 Cheerios penny is unidentifiable outside of its colorful card — therefore, it is worth face value if worn.
- That is unless it’s a 2000 Wide AM penny (described above). Yes, many Cheerios pennies have been attributed as such. A 2000 Cheerios penny in its original packaging is usually worth $10 to $20.
2000 Doubled Die Penny Error
There are some 2000 pennies with minor doubled dies.
Doubling on such rare coins is generally prominent in the lettering, Lincoln’s eye or tie, or the columns of the Lincoln Memorial.
How much is this error penny worth?
The value of a 2000 doubled die penny ranges from $20 to $50.
2000 Off-Center Penny Error
Many 2000 pennies show some signs of having been struck off center.
How much is it worth?
The values for a 2000 penny with an off-center error depends on just how far off center the error is:
- A 2000 penny that is 1% to 3% off center is extremely common and carries little if any extra value.
- Any 2000 pennies that are 5% to 10% or more off center can be worth $10 to $20.
- The most valuable off-center 2000 pennies will be missing about 50% of their design, yet show a completely visible date.
2000 BIE Penny Error
As coin dies wear out, they often tend to crack. Evidence of these cracks can be transferred onto the struck coins as raised lines, ridges, and bumps.
There’s a very interesting kind of die crack unique to Lincoln cents that appears something like a capital letter “I” between the letters “B” and “E” of “LIBERTY.” These so-called BIE penny errors can be quite collectible!
How much is this error penny worth?
A 2000 BIE penny is typically worth $7 to $15… or more.
I’m the Coin Editor here at TheFunTimesGuide. My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. I primarily collect and study U.S. coins produced during the 20th century. I’m a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) and have won multiple awards from the NLG for my work as a coin journalist. I’m also the editor at the Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine), and author of Images of America: The United States Mint in Philadelphia (a book that explores the colorful history of the Philadelphia Mint). I’ve contributed hundreds of articles for various coin publications including COINage, The Numismatist, Numismatic News, Coin Dealer Newsletter, Coin Values, and CoinWeek. I’ve authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins (many of them with over 50K shares), and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below!
