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Want to find rare coins in your pocket change and make some real money in the process?
A lot of folks ask me what types of coins in circulation they should be looking for to make money.
It’s amazing to think how many coins are floating around in circulation right now that are worth many times over their face values.
Some are even worth $50, $100, $500 or more. Crazy, right?
While I’ll never say finding these coins will be easy (it won’t be — trust me), I can tell you there are legitimate rare coins in circulation at this moment and all you’ve got to do is look for them.
How?
Here are my 5 best tips on what types of coins you should be looking for and how to find them in your spare change:
#1 – Look For Error Coins
Error coins are coins that were made incorrectly by the U.S. Mint.
These Mint-made mistakes include:
- Broad strikes
- Off-center strikes
- Indents
- Machine doubling and double strikes
- Split planchets
- Clashed dies
- Clipped planchets
- Brockages
- Cuds
- Capped dies
- Off-metal strikes
- Blank coins
The list of error coin varieties above isn’t all-inclusive, but it’s a good starting point to help you identify the diversity of error coins that exist.
Some of these errors (such as off-center coins) are sometimes worth only a few dollars. Others (like off-metal errors) are typically worth hundreds and even thousands of dollars.
#2 – Watch For Coins With Die Varieties
Unlike an error coin — which is generally created either in the process of preparing planchets (coin blanks) or when a die strikes a blank planchet — a coin with a die variety is one of perhaps only a few or maybe as many as several thousand that contain the same design mistake.
Among the most popular types of die varieties are doubled die coins.
Unlike double-struck error coins — which are created when the blank planchet is struck multiple times by the die — a double die coin is made when the hub (a device that impresses an image upon a die) accidentally doubles part or all of the design on the die.
This doubling may become apparent if the die rotated during the creation process.
Other types of die varieties include:
- 1909-S Horizontal S Lincoln Cent
- 1937-D 3-Legged Buffalo Nickel
- 1982 No-P Roosevelt Dime
- 2004-D Wisconsin Quarter With Extra Leaf
- 1982 Kennedy Half Dollar No “FG” Designer Initials
- 1888-O “Hot Lips” Morgan Dollar
While you won’t necessarily find any of the older coin varieties listed above in pocket change, the pieces mentioned here will at least give you an idea as to the number of coin design varieties that exist.
Many die varieties are worth many times over face value — such as the 1982 no-P Roosevelt dime (which is one of the most valuable die varieties you’re most likely to find in circulation) that has a value of $100 or more.
#3 – Look For Old Coins
Most of the numismatic questions I receive concern the values of old coins and rare coins.
Let’s face it, old coins and rare coins usually get the most attention when it comes to the realm of valuable coins.
Numismatically untrained individuals may not realize how much value and true rarity lay behind some types of obscure modern die varieties or lesser-known error coins.
Yet, many who have little knowledge of coins from the collector perspective may think they’ve hit it rich if they land a 1941 Lincoln penny or a 1921 Morgan dollar — both old, yet very common coins.
It’s pretty natural and forgivable to think that the older a coin is, the more it’s worth. But that doesn’t always ring true in numismatics. You have to know which specific old coins are rare.
Listing all old, rare coins is unfeasible here, due to the sheer length of such a list. But below are links to our best articles, by denomination, that can help you look for the really important old coins in your loose change — the types of coins that are worth much more than their face value alone:
- Most Valuable Pennies
- Most Valuable Nickels
- Most Valuable Dimes
- Most Valuable Quarters
- Most Valuable Half Dollars
- Most Valuable Silver Dollars
Some rare, old coins like the 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent are worth $500 to $1,500 or more.
One of the rarest old coins is the 1794 Flowing Hair dollar. The highest-graded specimen of that became the most valuable coin ever sold when it commanded more than $10 million at auction in 2013.
#4 – Watch For Silver Coins And Gold Coins
Conventional wisdom may tell you that you’ll never find silver or even gold coins in pocket change.
It’s extremely unlikely that you’ll find any gold coins in your spare change, but just to help inspire you on the very real possibility of finding a gold coin in circulation these days, check out this cool article by numismatic expert Dave Harper.
Silver coins are relatively easier to find in circulation than gold coins.
Do note that I said “relatively.” You may need to go through thousands of dimes, quarters, and half dollars before finding your first silver coin.
But you can find silver coins in circulation, as I show in the video below profiling my roll search finds from my local bank:
#5 – Look Through Bank Rolls For Valuable, Rare Coins
In the video above, you’ll see I found all those silver Kennedy half dollars by searching through bank rolls.
How do you get bank rolls?
It’s really as simple as going to your bank!
In fact, almost any coin collecting pro will tell you looking through bank rolls (or bags) of coins is your best bet in finding old, rare, or otherwise valuable coins.
Roll searching isn’t necessarily expensive — since you can return the coins you don’t want to keep and exchange them for cash to spend or more rolls of coins. The only cost to you, really, is the face value of the coins you wish to keep.
The most difficult part in roll searching is the time it takes to go through hundreds or thousands of coins for the chance of finding a few possibly rare coins.
Of course, the fun of roll searching is the thrill of the hunt!
How Do You Turn Rare Coins Into Cash?
OK, so let’s say you’ve hit the jackpot by finding a 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent. How do transform that penny into $500 or $1,000?
You sell it to a coin collector or a coin dealer.
Pawn shops and jewelers are the last places to sell coins because, in general, the staff at those places aren’t knowledgeable on coins, and they won’t pay you as much as you could get from a reputable coin dealer with a lot of available buying capital.
If you’re looking for reputable coin dealers in your neck of the woods, check out the Professional Numismatists Guild website, which has a great list of coin dealers across the United States. While the list doesn’t include every coin dealer, it’s a great springboard for finding one near you who you can visit to buy and sell coins.
If you can’t find a coin dealer convenient to you, or if you prefer to sell your rare coins directly to another coin collector, then you might consider selling your coins on eBay. Just be sure to carefully check the collector’s ratings on eBay first.
More Tips For Finding Rare Coins In Your Pocket Change
- Old Coins You Can Find In Circulation
- How To Spot Rare Coins
- New Jersey Coin Dealer Releases 107 Rare Coins Into Circulation
- Top 5 Old Coins You Can Find In Circulation
- 5 Rare Coins For You To Find For The Lincoln Memorial Cent Series
- 9 Of The Most Popular & Rarest Coins Collectors Go Gaga Over
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!
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/03c9cda858c9600365a056cd9e6775fecf4a9318b4f303fc039ecf223e426cb9.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/76443698f3aa2e262d15fadd86a32e8c62a10face22aea58b5d345f1ddcd3907.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/fe7c8f1fbd4d83c01e442e85ccca4410059fb97301ac2c418949db016bac8af9.jpg Help is this a double die coin? It’s black on both sides. 1957 D. I have another 1957D next to Irvin. You can see the color difference
Hi, Hope —
From what I can see in the photos, I don’t see any doubling of the design as a result of being a doubled die coin. Both pieces are, however, worth 3 to 5 cents each as obsolete Lincoln wheat ears cents.
Nice finds!
Josh
Do you think its worth ….. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/56d16b84392b664f2ab26d1924967955330fa6d2ca31de63b8cd9bcfee1e7a1a.jpg
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Hello, Ahmed —
Neat coin! This is a type of variety called a “BIE” error, caused by a die break between the letters “B” and “E” in “LIBERTY.” They were very common to Lincoln cents of the 1950s. There are many folks who collect these, and they’re typically worth in the neighborhood of $3 to $5.
Best wishes,
Josh
thank you
You’re welcome!
-Josh
I have an 80 coin collection that might interest a few.
This collection was started when I was young. I have a few silver dollars from my grandfather. and a few Eisenhower dollars from my father. This peaked my interest because of the history. I was only 10 at the time it was very difficult to hold on to these coins, but I managed to.
Hi, Daniel —
How wonderful that you’ve held onto this collection for so many years. Silver dollars are widely popular with collectors, as you’d guess. I see you’ve listed some coins above so I’ll answer those comments individually.
Thank you for reaching out!
Josh
have one silver dollar with G.W. from 1865. 2 Morgan dollars from 1887 and 1891. 3 Bust silver dollars from 1800.
Hi, Daniel —
Would you please post photos of both sides of these coins so I can help you further? The main things that dictate value, in addition to a coin’s date and denomination, are the coins’ mintmarks and condition. I also want to see which 1865 dollar you’re referring to.
Thanks!
Josh
I have 5 trade dollars 1 from 1797 and 4 from 1877.
Hi, Daniel —
Would you please post photos of these coins, too?
Thank you!
Josh
I have 2 peace silver dollars from 1921 and 1924.
Again, please post photos of these coins — thanks, Daniel!
-Josh
i have 3 Eisenhower dollars from 1971-
Hello, Daniel —
I can help you with this one sans photos! A 1971 Eisenhower dollar with wear is worth about $1.05, while uncirculated specimens range in value from about $2 to $5, on average.
Best wishes,
Josh
i have a lot more but not all are only from the U.S. When I started to travel I bought a book to hold my collection, then proceeded to go around to yard sales or public markets and looked for interesting coins that caught my eye. Some of them I can’t even read.
Wow! I bet you have some interesting coins! How old is your oldest coin?
Cool finds,
-Josh
Some of them I can’t read to figure out how old they are, but I’m going to give a wild guess around 18th and 19th century, some are more modern.
I can find a Spanish coin from 1776. I also have a Da Vinci coin, I’m sure it’s not currency and the dates are his lifespan 1452-1519. Normally when a coin has a between date it’s more modern.
Here is the 1865 close uo https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/100c6d9ee3945657dbd9ecd06fc3c23723fa78ab4c603961891230fa823897b7.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e45328d6c37bf8ec2eb51ccf93a48c964df4628c3afe2a129afe7bf4e491eb00.jpg
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Hi, Daniel —
Wow, what a range of pieces you have here. I’m afraid the 1800 Draped Bust coins are replicas, as is the 1865 dollar coin. The Trade dollars appear to also be replicas, but those will need closer inspection to make sure. It looks like some of the Liberty Seated dollars and also the 1921 Peace dollar might be replicas, too. It would take a sight-seen evaluation in-hand to weigh and closely inspect these coins to determine which are authentic versus which are replicas.
If you’re looking for a coin dealer to help you sort through further with in-hand looks at all of the coins, I suggest you check out these links:
How to find a good coin dealer: https://coins.thefuntimesguide.com/coin_dealer/
A searchable list of coin dealers: https://png.memberclicks.net/find-a-png-dealer
But at any rate this is a varied collection and a nice keepsake to honor your grandfather and father.
Please let me know if I can help further,
Josh
Yes the Eisenhower coins are going around 5 dollars max on eBay.
Just let me know what coins you would like to have close-ups for better studying. some are worn and a few scratches, but I don’t see why anyone would go through all that trouble to make a replica out of silver. The few tests I have done add up.
Thank you for your reply. I do believe some of them are replicas. I’ve done a few tests to check for real silver. like the ice test and the ping test. some of the measurements seem a bit off. the eagle coins is around 40.6 mm. It hasn’t even reached 4 cm.
Hi, Daniel —
Many times replica coins like these do contain a small amount of silver, so they would likely still test positive for containing silver even if they’re not government issues. It sounds to me like you’ve observed some measurements and physical assessments of the coins that show them a bit off. The trick is getting the weights and measurements for the authentic coin types and then comparing the dimensions and weights of your coins to what the official figures are.
Best of luck,
Josh
ok I have discovered the fake coins anything with cc prior to 1870 is out some of them have the word copy and I found facsimile on the 1865 and the busts all don’t have the indented front outer-ring but do have it on the back sides. any other key issues to help spot potential real ones let me know. using my magnifying glass
I have been learning how to spot the fakes without a scale or magnet
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/75feef925b5f2c6f515238b5d93f2ec6cc9488ad5cbdd1854b388b52db36e2e6.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0685074581e0d19fb88f57fd9a2803fc2365b20ea894be06adf7c8e6a7684fb9.jpg Here are my “caught you red handed” no joke fakes
Ah, man! Yup, you’ve got it — these are definitely counterfeits. Unfortunately not the Real McCoys, but they’re still neat replicas!
Still need to check the others, one coin is earlier than the print date. Still need to examine the morgan, peace and seated more closely. It’s hard to find out.
if some or all are replicas, they would still look good in my collection. I’d say I spent around 20 dollars total, including the book.
Hi, Daniel —
Yes, it’s still a nice collection and it sounds like you got a nice deal on it, too!
Enjoy,
Josh
I didn’t realise you nice the photos came out.
My liberty seated seem authentic, I just don’t have a magnet or scale. They are both pre-1870 without the cc marks and are not the normal replicated dates. I’m enjoying my collection more learning things as I go along spotting differences. I would love to have a guide for determining each coin
Hey, Daniel —
There are many awesome guides out there for authenticating coins. Of course, each coin type will need its own guide, and several of these are foreign pieces. However, I suggest checking out these links for more help:
Bust dollars: https://coinauctionshelp.com/identify_fake_authentic_drapedbust_silverdollars.html#.W6p0Sf5Kib8
Liberty Seated dollars: https://coinauctionshelp.com/identify_fake_authentic_seated_silver_dollars.html#.W6p0Af5Kib8
Trade dollars: https://coinauctionshelp.com/identify_fake_counterfeit_tradedollars_silverdollars.html#.W6p0HP5Kib8
Morgan dollars: https://www.jmbullion.com/morgan-silver-dollar-fake-tips/
These are just a few links to get started, though there are many more out there and with a bit of research you’ll find them. Bear in mind, just because certain rare dates are referenced in these links, that does not mean the “common” dates aren’t also counterfeited. In fact, we’re seeing a rise in counterfeited common dates, because these are the ones that many collectors would least suspect being counterfeited. Just a heads up!
I hope this helps you a little more in identifying any replicas versus authentic pieces and also helps you in educating yourself on the hobby and enjoying your collection more!
Please let me know if I can help any further!
Best wishes,
Josh
Thank you for these great guides. Very destinct! I’ll have to take a closer look tomorrow to spot them. Thank you very helpful.
Daniel,
You’re most welcome! It’s my pleasure to help!
Good luck,
Josh
I’m filing it down to a few hard-to-spot counterfeits. Good stuff that’s very helpful.