Are pennies from 1980 worth anything?

Any penny 1982 or earlier is 95% copper, worth at least 2 cents in retail value .

Which pennies are worth more than face value?

Some of the most valuable pennies include the 1943 copper Lincoln cent, 1955 double die Lincoln cent, 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent, and the 1873 Indian Head penny with a doubled "LIBERTY" . How can I tell if my penny is valuable? Check for key dates, mint marks, and errors. Research its history for rarity and demand.

Why is a 1981 D penny rare?

The 1981-D Memorial Lincoln Cent was produced in the billions making it a very common coin. Only in MS67 or higher are they scarce . Anything grading MS68 or higher is rare and should be sent in to get graded as it would be one of the nicest examples that exist.

How rare is a 1980 D penny?

The 1980-D Lincoln Cent should be very easy to obtain in MS65 grades or lower as the U.S. Mint struck over 5 billion examples. In MS66 they begin to be scarce . In MS67 condition they are very difficut to locate.

Where can I sell a 1980 penny?

For circulated coins in low grades, you can easily buy or sell a Lincoln penny by visiting your local coin dealer .

Why is the 1983 D penny rare?

This was the year that the mint was supposed to make all the pennies out of the new copper plated zinc planchets. Word has it that some of the copper planchets from 1982 or before were left over and somehow got fed through the press to create a very rare variety of 1983 D penny which was copper .

Which 1982 D penny is rare?

The 1982-D small date bronze Lincoln penny is a transitional error coin, meaning it was struck on a planchet from a previous year with a different metallic composition. The existence of this coin was not confirmed until 2016, when an AU58 specimen sold for $18,800 at a 2017 auction.

Are all 1982 D small date pennies worth money?

In 1982, the U.S. Mint produced two different types of pennies: the copper penny, which is 95% copper and 5% zinc, and the copper-plated zinc penny, which is 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper. If your 1982 small date penny is the copper variety, then it is worth more than its face value due to its copper content.

How rare is a 1981 penny no mint mark?

SURELY you are aware there were Billions of Cents (12,864,985,677) minted for circulation in 1981, and 58% of them have no mint mark, indicating they were minted in Philadelphia. But, congratulations! Your CENT is worth more than twice its face value!!

What is a 1982 No Mint Mark penny worth?

The 1982 no mintmark 3.11 gm in both large and small sizes are common. So is the 1982 D 3.11 gm large size date. All three of these are worth roughly the same amount, about 1 cent unless they are in VERY high grade.

At what year do pennies become valuable?

According to Cointrackers.com, certain pennies that were minted in 1943 and 1944 top the list of the 25 most valuable pennies for coin collectors in 2023. The 1944 steel wheat penny could be worth as much as $408,000 in mint condition, and up to $10,000 in average condition, the site said.

Are 1980 pennies pure copper?

It turns out all pennies with a date of 1981 or earlier were made from nearly pure copper , which means they are actually worth three times their face value - three cents. That probably isn't too impressive, but that's just the start.

Are pennies before 1982 worth more?

A: All U.S. pennies, regardless of their year of minting, are considered legal tender and can be used to pay for goods and services. However, pre-1982 pennies contain a higher copper content and may be worth more than their face value to collectors .

All 1980 Pennies Are Worth More Than Face Value... Up To $3,600! (2024)

1980 Penny Value Guide

The 1980 penny is worth looking for — even worn 1980 pennies are quite valuable!

All 1980 Pennies Are Worth More Than Face Value... Up To $3,600! (1)

Some are worth thousands of dollars.

In this post, you’ll learn how to tell the difference between a valuable 1980 penny worth big bucks versus one that’s worth only a few cents.

1980 Penny Value (No Mintmark)

The 1980 Lincoln Memorial penny without a mintmark isn’t a rare coin, as the Philadelphia Mint struck 7,414,705,000. That’s more than 7.4 BILLION… with a “B!”

Yet, it seems like it’s getting harder to find these old pennies in pocket change. Why is that?

While the 1980 penny with no mintmark is a common coin in the absolute sense, many collectors and non-collectors alike are hoarding these coins due to their copper content.

You see, copper prices are going up — way up since the 1980 Lincoln cent was struck many years ago with its 95% copper content.

The United States Mint switched the bronze composition of the Lincoln cent in 1982 to a copper-plated zinc format — due to the rising value of copper.

Today, a typical pre-1982 Lincoln Memorial penny contains around 2 to 3 cents of copper.

Therefore, people are saving 1980 Lincoln pennies because of their default copper value — they’re worth significantly more than their face value of one cent.

There’s one caveat though… It’s presently illegal to melt United States pennies for their copper. So how do you make money from saving old copper pennies?

1980-D Penny Value

You should definitely keep your eyes out for one of these!

Like the Philadelphia-born penny, the 1980-D Lincoln cent struck at the Denver Mint is also made from a 95% copper composition. Carrying a “D” mintmark under the date to denote the coin’s striking in Denver, the 1980-D Lincoln penny is worth more than face value due to its high copper content.

The 1980-D penny is a common coin that boasts a mintage of 5,140,098,660 pieces. Even still, it’s becoming harder to locate these days because of the fact that more and more people are hoarding copper pennies. So good luck finding them in your spare change!

1980-D Lincoln pennies are worth 2 to 3 cents each, even in worn condition.

Uncirculated pieces are worth 10 to 30 cents each.

The most valuable 1980-D penny took a whopping $546 at a 2008 auction!

1980-S Penny Value

The United States Mint struck a limited number of special collector pennies in 1980 and sold them in sets of proof coins — which exhibit mirror-like surfaces and super-sharp strikes. Proof coins are made with highly polished blanks that are struck at least twice by specially prepared dies on high-tonnage presses. Proof coins were sold to coin collectors by the U.S. Mint during the year of production.

The U.S. Mint in San Francisco made 3,554,806 proof sets in 1980.

You can buy 1980-S pennies or 1980 proof sets from coin dealers who specialize in buying and selling modern U.S. coins.

Rare 1980 Error Pennies And Their Values

Many 1980 penny errors are rare and valuable, while others that look like errors are really just damaged or altered — not errors at all.

So how do you tell real errors and varieties from common post-mint damage? It’s not always easy, but the real 1980 penny errors are definitely worth looking for!

Here are the 1980 error pennies that you could find in your spare change today…

1980 Doubled Die Penny Error

One reason that so many people (even non-collectors) are aware of doubled die penny errors is because some of them are worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, most doubled dies aren’t worth that much. And that’s the case with the 1980 doubled die pennies you’re likely to find.

Most 1980 doubled die Lincoln pennies are relatively obscure and sought by only specialists.

However, there is a 1980 doubled die obverse (heads side) penny that shows a thicker date and lettering in the word “LIBERTY,” and this variety sells for anywhere from $35 to $250, depending on the condition of the coin.

1980 Repunched Penny Error

In the early 1980s, coiners at the U.S. Mint were hand-punching the mintmarks (“D” and “S”) individually onto each working die. It was a process that left plenty of room for error — which arose from time to time.

Some 1980-D penny dies and even some 1980-S proof penny dies show indications of repunched mintmarks. These were caused by the coiner repunching the mintmark after the first attempt was either misplaced or not oriented correctly — sideways, tilted, what have you.

The value of a repunched mintmark largely depends on the magnitude of the error and how popular (or sought-after) a particular repunched mintmark error is.

Many repunched mintmark 1980 pennies sell for between $3 and $10.

1980 BIE Penny Error

Coin dies don’t last forever. These specially crafted devices that punch the design of a coin onto a blank eventually wear out — sometimes becoming brittle and cracking. These die cracks show up on the struck coins and appear as raised lines, squiggles, or bumps.

One particular type of die crack that is unique to Lincoln cents appears as a straight, vertical line between the letters “B” and “E” in the inscription “LIBERTY” — and it almost looks like a capital “I.”

This type of die crack is aptly classified as a “BIE” variety and is wildly popular with coin collectors.

A “typical” 1980 BIE penny might be expected to sell for $5 to $15.

Joshua

I’m the Coin Editor here at TheFunTimesGuide. My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. I primarily collect and study U.S. coins produced during the 20th century. I’m a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) and have won multiple awards from the NLG for my work as a coin journalist. I’m also the editor at the Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine), and author of Images of America: The United States Mint in Philadelphia (a book that explores the colorful history of the Philadelphia Mint). I’ve contributed hundreds of articles for various coin publications including COINage, The Numismatist, Numismatic News, Coin Dealer Newsletter, Coin Values, and CoinWeek. I’ve authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins (many of them with over 50K shares), and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below!