Your pretty penny may be worth as much as £14,000, according to expert

17 October 2023 , 22:00

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A double die obverse Lincoln cent sold for a record breaking $126,500 in 2008 (Image: Getty Images)

The next time you think about discarding those few pennies in your pocket, it could be worth taking a closer look at them.

Because it turns out that one seemingly insignificant coin in particular could be worth a small fortune. Avid coin collector and TikToker Treasure Town recently shared a video of just what you need to look out for if you want to be $17,000 (£14,000) richer.

In the one-minute video, called 'King of Modern Cents $15,000+ DDO Penny, he explains how the coin on the screen sold for a "crazy" $17,400" last summer. He asks: "If you're not familiar with coin collecting, you're probably wondering why it is?"

The one cent coin - also known as a Lincoln cent - is described as "worn-looking" with plenty of little chinks in it and one that has most certainly been in circulation. The coin lover goes on: "The reason is it's one of the most famous double die obverses.

"If you've been following coins for a long time, you're probably aware. But what's going on here is that there is a bunch of doubling in the lettering. It's really strong - all through the 'Liberty' and 'In God we trust' you can see multiple impressions."

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Even the date on the coin - 1969 - has two of every number. Treasure Town said this happened during the die-making process when what was used to strike the die has ended up hitting the coin in two "very different" places.

He added: "It's one of the rarest modern coins and it's definitely something to keep an eye out for." He also noted that there may be other double-die coins out there as well that are worth less than this one.

The video was liked more than 1,200 time and garnered dozens of comments. One user declared: "I have one like that," which echoed many other replies. While another hoped to received some help from the coin enthusiast and asked: "Hi can I send you a picture of a 1993 penny, it has the back semi printed in the front backwards."

Steven White