THE 1955 Lincoln obverse cent is one of the most unique coins in existence and you’re very lucky if you happen to have one in your possession.
Since 1909, the US Mint has struck cents that feature 16th US President Abraham Lincoln.
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And interestingly, there have been minted Lincoln coins that are quite rare and much more valuable than their original one-cent denomination today.
Typically, a coin gets its rarity from either (or both) its low mintage or an error.
We explain what makes the 1955 Lincoln obverse coin so valuable.
Table of Contents
What is the Lincoln 1955 penny and why it’s valuable?
The 1955 obverse coin was designed by Victor David Brenner.
Most importantly, this is said to be the most famous double die penny of all of them.
A double die means that there is a duplicate of letters, numbers, or words of a coin.
For instance, on this coin, you can clearly see “In God We Trust,” “Liberty,” and “1955” all doubled on the obverse on the coin.
“The 1955 Doubled Dies were created when the Mint struck a working hub and a working die together while they were both slightly rotated differently from one another,” Professional Coin Grading Service’s Jamie Hernandez wrote in a description of the coin.
This of course created the double die effect – which was mixed with millions of normal strike versions of the coin.
But, “The Mint then decided that it was just not worth the trouble of melting millions of cents to retrieve the approximately 20,000 Doubled Die cents that were accidentally produced,” Mr Hernandez said.
How much it’s worth
Keep in mind that how much you can get for the coin could depend on grade and condition.
According to USA Coin Book, the 1955 double die penny is worth $1,286 on average and up to $16,644 if in “Uncirculated (MS-63)” condition.
To give you a better idea, some recently sold on eBay.
That includes one for $1,825, another for 1,801, and one for 1,552.
How to find rare coins
There are many ways you can find rare coins.
The first thing you’ll want to do is check places in your home or any places you might store change.
Some other things you can try are using a metal detector in known areas for buried treasure and by stopping by your local bank branch and asking for a wrapper of pennies.
You can also try to get a good deal on one online through USA Coin Book or eBay.
But make sure you research the coin first and know what it’s worth before buying.
And also – make sure you’re aware of potential fakes online.
To avoid this, make sure you check the seller’s history and whether or not the coin was certified in the listing.
Your unique pennies aren’t the only thing that might hold value, as nickels, dimes, half dollars, and others could be worth a serious mint.
We explain the VDB Lincoln penny and what makes it so valuable.
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