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            Collecting of US coins has been a popular hobby for about as long as the country has been around. The most popular coins to collect in our history have been the small cents; particularly Lincoln cents and Indian head cents. Many people who do not have much experience with coins may be enamored by the fact that these cents can have old dates or different designs than what we see now. This leads people to believe that they must have something very rare and valuable, especially if they only have one or two, when in reality most of these coins were minted in the many millions or even billions.

            Although the average value for old, Lincoln wheat cents is only a couple to a few cents, a number of them can hold extraordinary value. This value is dependent mainly on the date and mint mark (where and when it was made), and the condition of the coin. For example, while a 1944 cent that was minted in the billions in uncirculated condition may be worth from a few cents to a dollar or so, a 1909-s VDB or a 1914-D cent in the same condition would likely be worth thousands of dollars. Interestingly, in 1943, the US made their cents out of steel as the copper was used instead for bullets for WWII, but these cents are not worth any more than their contemporary counterparts as over a billion were minted.

            Indian cents are less common than wheat cents and were not made in as great a quantity. For this reason, average Indian cents are worth more like a quarter to a dollar as opposed to a couple of cents. Fittingly, better Indian head cents are often more expensive than Lincoln cent counterparts as well. Uncirculated Indian head cents of any date are reasonably pricy, and those of key dates such as 1877 are worth well into the thousands, even in lesser conditions. The older the coin, the more important condition becomes in the value of the coin.

            Before the Indian cent, the US also had a short-lived design with an eagle on the front, called the “flying eagle” cent, and prior to that, the cents were large and dated back to 1793. These are much less common and are much harder to find in good condition.

            Understanding cent values can be very tricky as in most cases they can look very similar. Because of this, many people spend years of their lives learning and collecting them in order to best understand them.

            If you would like to learn more about cents, or any other kind of coin collecting, please come visit us at Ashmore Rare Coins and Metals in Greensboro, NC.

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