Someone in New Jersey Could Have a Penny Worth Over $15,000

Coin collecting can be quite a hobby. A simple coin can be worth a small fortune.

Think about how much change you have in your home, car, or office.

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Eric Miller, also known as @thecoinchannel on TikTok, has people in Jersey checking their piggy banks.

Eric says that a 1982 Lincoln penny is worth as much as $15,000 just floating around.

As The Sun reports, there are particular requirements this specific coin needs to meet before you cash in.

Year - 1982

The first thing you want to look for in a Lincoln penny is the year 1982.

This was an important year for the US Mint as it saw a change in the composition of pennies being produced, which gave us several varieties of these cents.

Mint Mark - Denver D

Denver D. Doesn't this take you back to your coin-collecting days?

If the penny has a small 'D' below the date, this particular coin was made in the Denver Mint.

This is another crucial detail because only a specific type of penny produced at this mint will be worth more when you trade it in.

READ MORE: Someone in New Jersey could have a dime worth $500,000

Weight - approx 3.1 grams

This is where things start to get very complicated.

In 1982, the US Mint began to change its pennies from 95% copper-based coins weighing around 3.1 grams to 99.2% zinc-based coins weighing around 2.5 grams.

Zinc pennies aren’t very useful to collectors, so copper-based pennies are valuable. It is very important to confirm their weight with a precise scale.

Small Date Design

You better get those glasses.

The coins with small dates have numbers significantly smaller and thinner than those with large dates, and the date is also a little farther from the rim of the coin.

This is the sort of detail that can only be made out by, or even against the background of, other specific information after a long and careful look.

This may sound like a lot of work, but coins in these categories have sold for as much as $18,800 in auctions.

Good luck going through your water cooler bottle full of coins. I hope you hit it big.