Most Valuable Coins in the World. Coin collecting goes back to medieval Mesopotamia. Because of this long history, many people expect older coins to have more value. This isn’t the case. For example, even though the United States is young among nations, its coinage is in high demand and often more valuable than coins from places like ancient.

• Most Valuable Pennies: 1914-S Lincoln Penny It is 1 cent of dollar with Lincoln of 1914, coined in over 4 million copies but still in excellent condition. It is precisely the quality that distinguishes this currency and makes its economic value levitate.
• Top 10 Rare Canadian Pennies include the 1936 dot penny, the 1955 'No Shoulder Fold' (NSF) and 1954 NSF. These are very valuable pennies indeed.

Take a closer look before you dump that handful of pennies and nickels into the tip jar — you don't need to find a Revolutionary War-era coin to make a fortune from your change.

They're harder to find each year, but there are several valuable coins floating around that aren't all that old. They're often valuable for vastly different reasons — like the World War II-era coins minted from atypical metals, or double-printed pennies — but each one is easy to miss if you're not paying attention.

See also: Californian Couple Finds $10 Million Worth of Gold Coins in Tin Can

Check out these eight coins that are worth a lot more than their intended value.

1. 2004 Wisconsin state quarter with extra leaf

Value: Up to $300

Value Of Old Pennies By Year

Find an average Wisconsin state quarter from 2004, and that will get you one-fourth of a bag of chips. Find one with either the high or low leaf error, and you can get a whole lot more.

Most Valuable Pennies 1957

The 50 State Quarters series ran from 1999 until 2008, with special designs representing each state. Wisconsin's quarter came out in 2004; the reverse design features a cow, a wheel of cheese and a partially husked ear of corn lurking in the back.

However, some the coins have an extra line below the front left leaf, which looks like another leaf entirely. There are two varieties you should be looking out for: the high leaf and low leaf.

2. 1995 double die penny

Value: $20 - $50

This penny has a double-printed obverse (heads side) that makes the 'LIBERTY' and 'IN GOD WE TRUST' look blurry. The error has happened before, in 1969 and 1972, and those versions of the coins are much more valuable.

3. 1942-1945 silver nickel

Value: 56 cents - $12.25

During World War II, the United States needed to save as much nickel as possible for military uses. Consequently, it started minting nickels made of 35% silver. Melting down pennies and nickels is a federal offense, but the coin might still fetch you enough for a decent lunch, if it's in good condition.

4. 1943 steel penny

Value: 45 cents - $10

Pennies were made from steel during wartime, for the same reasons nickels were made partially from silver — steel pennies helped preserve copper for World War II. However, the switch only lasted one year.

5. Ben Franklin half-dollar

Value: $12 - $125

In 1948, the U.S. mint began circulating half-dollar coins with images of Ben Franklin and an eagle — which is funny, considering Franklin opposed the bald eagle's nomination as the nation's bird, in favor of a wild turkey.

Franklin's portrait on the coin was replaced by John F. Kennedy in 1964, following the president's 1963 assassination.

6. 1932-1964 silver quarter

Value: $7 - $65

Between 1932 and 1964, quarters were 90% silver and 10% copper. These silver quarters look like any pre-state quarter 25-cent piece, but are worth a lot more if they're in the right condition.

7. 'In God We Rust' 2005 Kansas state quarter

Value: Up to $100

While it might seem like a mint employee's rogue political statement, these coins are actually just the result of grease preventing a clean pressing.

8. Presidential dollar coin with lettering errors

Value: $20 - $45

In 2007, the U.S. Mint began printing a series of dollar coins featuring presidents. Many of the early coins, especially those with George Washington, have errant or missing lettering along the edge of the coin.

USA Coin Book has compiled a list of the most valuable US nickels ever known. For this list, we are only including five-cent nickels: Shield Nickels, Liberty 'V' Nickels, Buffalo Nickels (or Indian Head Nickels), and Jefferson Nickels. In addition, we are NOT factoring in the prices for Proof versions of these nickels (unless the Proof version is an error coin or an unusual variety). We are using our database of virtually every US coin ever produced (6,000+ coins) based on year, mint mark, major varieties, errors and their associated price values to come up with a list of the top most valuable nickels known. Our most valuable nickels list includes coins starting in 1866 up to the present (2021) - including rare nickel errors and rare varieties that could still actually be found in pocket change. This list and the prices are current as of 2021. Estimated coin prices and values in our database are updated twice per year.

The purpose of this page is to provide coin valuation data to collectors, investors, the media, and anyone interested learning what the most valuable nickels and five-cent coins are. Visitors can click on the links in the list below to view larger images of both sides of the coins (mint mark locations, error/variety diagnosis, etc), detailed pricing data for various conditions/grades of the coins, mintage figures, metal composition, history and other encyclopedic information regarding each individual coin.