A SEEMINGLY ordinary penny from about four decades ago has sold for over $2,000.
A big reason why a coin could fetch a ton of money is due to its high grade.
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And that's what happened with a Lincoln penny with a 1980 date and a D mintmark, which stands for Denver.
One example sold for $2,053.12 at a February 26 Great Collections auction.
It was profiled by Shaun, who runs rare coin and note TikTok channel known as (@blueridgesilverhound).
The 1980-D is neither rare in most conditions, nor does it have a notable error that's popular among collectors.
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Instead, it's the coin's immaculate and rare condition that sets it apart.
RED RARITY
The 1980-D Lincoln cent example that sold was certified in an MS67+RD grade by coin rating agency Proffesional Coin Grading Services.
That is only three spots away from a perfect score of MS70.
PCGS describes MS67 coins as "very well struck with minor imperfections visible without magnification."
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While MS67 coins are not extremely rare, this is the highest-rated 1980-D discovered so far, making it a "condition rarity," according to Shaun.
One of the hallmarks of the coin's quality is its reddish tint, which qualifies it as a "red copper coin," hence its RD rating.
These variety of coins are so well preserved that they retain their initial red coloring long after contemporary pennies lose luster and turn totally brown.
If you think you have a 1980-D red copper coin, make sure to have it professionally appraised.
MORE PENNY FINDS
While this coin's calling card is its condition, many other notable pennies are known for a notorious error.
And many of these mistakes are tough to spot.
Another red copper coin example on a 1922 Lincoln cent minted in Denver, sold for $225,000.
The reason? In addition to its high quality, the coin was missing a small D mint mark.
Some error pennies have even sold in the millions.
A 1958 Double Die error Lincoln Cent sold for a whopping $1.13million.
These errors occur when a mistake in the dying process causes visual elements to be printed more than once, creating a doubling effect.
And a 1944 Lincoln cent made out of zinc-coated steel, instead of mostly copper, could be worth more than $1million.
The mint produced steel pennies during parts of World War II to conserve copper.
Yet, the mint switched back to copper-based pennies in 1944, making pennies mistakenly made using the 1943 formula a year late extremely valuable.
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Check out the missing Buffalo leg which makes an old nickel worth thousands.
And see if your penny has a valuable 'mule' error.
