That old penny at the bottom of your change purse or coin jar may be worth a whole lot more than one cent, particularly if you happen to have one from the 1930s. While most old coins aren’t worth much, some specific coins, from pennies to rare $10 pieces, could be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
If you’re looking to make extra cash on the side, check your wallet, car, and home for these 10 Depression Era coins that have sold for serious dough on the resale market.
Editor’s note: Market prices were sourced from the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS).
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1. 1931-S Lincoln penny
Record sale: $38,400
Pennies featuring President Lincoln minted in San Francisco in 1931 are rare due to a low mintage, PCGS reports. The record auction for a coin in excellent condition, graded MS67, sold for more than $38,000 in January 2025. However, even those graded lower, like MS63 or MS64, could sell for a few hundred dollars.
Even 1931 pennies with marks or imperfections could be worth cash, and they are more common than many other coins on this list, so this is definitely a coin to be on the lookout for.
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2. 1932-D Washington quarter
Record sale: $143,750
1932 quarters featuring George Washington are rare, and the Denver minted coins are considered the rarest, hence the big auction price. According to PCGS, only about 436,800 coins were created in the original mintage, and these coins could be valuable in any decent condition.
The coin that sold for more than $143,000 was graded MS66.
3. 1932-S Washington quarter
Record sale: $45,500
Even though 1932 quarters were minted in a smaller quantity in San Francisco than Denver, with a mintage of only 408,000, the San Francisco-minted coins are considered easier to come by today.
Still, they are highly sought after, and even coins graded MS60 could sell for around $425. Higher grades closer to MS65 could sell for thousands.
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4. 1934-P Peace dollar
Record sale: $108,000
“Peace Dollars,” minted in Philadelphia in 1934, could sell for much more than their $1 value. In fact, it may be worth it to look into the market value for any silver dollar you find.
The 1934-P dollar features Lady Liberty on the front and a perched eagle on the back. The record auction sale for a coin graded MS67, according to PCGS, is over $100,000, but lower grades, like MS63 or MS64, tend to sell for well over a hundred dollars as well.
5. 1935-S Peace dollar
Record sale: $39,656
The Peace Dollar series was minted from 1921 through 1935, so silver dollars from the final years may retain some value. The 1935 San Francisco-minted coin is not considered as rare as the 1934-P version, hence the lower record auction price, but if you happen to have one graded MS63 or up, you could be looking at a $700 pay day or more.
6. 1937 buffalo nickel
Record sale: $18,213
The Philadelphia-minted 1937 nickel featuring a Native American chief on the front and a buffalo on the back is more common and easier to find than many other coins on this list.
A very highly graded coin (think MS67 or higher) could net you a few hundred dollars on the resale market. At lower 60s grades, the resale price goes down to around $30-$40 (still much more than a nickel).
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7. 1938-D half dollar
Record sale: $44,400
Because of low mintage, 50-cent pieces made in Denver in 1938 are often worth quite a few dollars these days. The auction record for a coin graded MS67 is well over $40,000, but even those in less than perfect condition often sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars on the resale market.
8. 1932-D Lincoln penny
Record sale: $25,200
Good condition Denver-minted 1932 pennies featuring President Lincoln are considered very rare.
Coins graded beyond MS64 are extremely valuable to collectors, according to PCGS, as finding a coin graded MS65 or MS66 is extremely rare, and finding one graded MS67 is near impossible.
9. 1930-S Indian head $10 coin
Record sale: $299,000
A 1930 $10 coin featuring a woman wearing a Native American headdress on the front is considered extremely valuable to collectors, as only a few of the San Francisco-minted versions in good condition are known to still exist to this day.
Even when graded lower, like MS63, these coins are known to sell for tens of thousands of dollars. The auction record was for a rare coin graded MS67, which sold in 2009.
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10. 1933-P $20 double eagle coin
Record sale: $18.9 million
The 1933 double eagle $20 coin is so rare with such a controversial history that only one is known to have been auctioned to a private collector, and it sold for a whopping $18.9 million. It remains the highest-priced coin ever sold.
While thousands of the coins were struck in 1933, most were melted down, and only a few were known to survive, allegedly due to being illegally smuggled out of the mint. According to PCGS, all existing coins except for the $18.9 million one are held by the government.
Bottom line
While it’s unlikely that you’ll find a multi-million-dollar coin from the 1930s, you may very well have a few valuable Lincoln pennies or half dollars from the era that could be sold for hundreds or even thousands of dollars to the right buyer.
If you think you have a valuable coin, be sure to get it professionally graded before attempting to sell it to avoid any money mistakes. You just might find it’s worth much more than you thought.
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