Hey NJ, Those Pennies They May Be Worth Big Bucks

Are you one of those people who socks away pennies in a jar?

For as long as I can remember, my friends and I always kept wheat pennies.  If we happened to find one, you'd think we found gold.

We'd put them in a jar that we kept in a closet somewhere and then forget about them.

Even as an adult, if I happen to find change, I put it in a jar in our closet, and there it sits.

These days, I think I put them in a jar just to get them out of the way.

However, you may want to check those pennies, because the coins in your jar may be more valuable than you think.

For Instance, look through your wheat pennies for one from 1926.  If have one in mint condition, it could be worth upwards of $3000.

If you have a penny from 1917, look at it carefully.  Look at the words In God We Trust.  If the words are doubled, you might be able to turn it into $6,000.

In 1955, a bunch of wheat coins were also produced with a doubled image.  Those could be worth close to $2,000.

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The 1982 D penny had errors that made them valuable.

If you have one that has a small date, off-center print, or a planchet error (a planchet is a disk that the coin is made from).

Depending on what you have, it could be worth anywhere from 10-$5,000.

The Mac Daddy of pennies is the 1943 steel penny.  World War 3 was underway and to save copper for military purposes, the US began making pennies out of steel.

When the process began, they didn't realize that there was still some copper in the hopper and it got mixed with steel.

It's believed that less than 50 are in existence.  If you happen to have one, it could be worth well over a million dollars.

15 Most Valuable Wheat Pennies, Ranked (msn.com)