Check your change for a Lincoln penny worth $7,000 – the missing ‘mark’ that makes it so valuable
SEVERAL thousand dollars could be sitting in your pocket in the form of a valuable Lincoln penny.
Take a look through your change to find the 1983 coin with a missing mark.
Coin enthusiasts will pay top dollar for rarities - and that's good news if you are lucky enough to find something special in your pocket change.
While many of the most valuable coins are old, that's not always the case.
A 1983 Lincoln Penny auctioned for $7,050 in 2017, according to the Professional Coin Grading Service.
Here's how to check your change to see if you have one.
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The most distinctive feature of this penny is that it is missing a mint mark.
Mint marks indicate the city in which a coin was minted - e.g. P for Philadelphia, D for Denver.
Next, check the other side of the coin to see if the wording of the "ONE CENT" has a doubled look.
That's because the 1983 Lincoln Penny is a double-die coin - meaning it was struck twice.
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MAKE THE GRADE?
Around 5,000 pennies made in 1983 are believed to have these two errors that are highly sought-after by collectors.
If you are fortunate enough to find one, how much it will be worth depends largely on its condition.
Coins are graded on a scale of one to 70, with the one that sold for $7,050 being graded as MS68.
If you do find a coin in less than perfect condition, don't try and clean it yourself.
Collectors prefer their coins to be in original condition without surface impairment or cleaning marks.
And the 1983 penny is not the only modern coin that can be worth a lot of money.
Keep an eye out for the 1969-S Lincoln cent.
This coin, which was also struck twice, has a fascinating history that makes each one worth up to $126,500.
"When the variety was first discovered in mid-1970s, the U.S. Secret Service declared it a counterfeit, and even seized the first of these coins that were reported,' write Scott Schechter and Jeff Garrett in 100 Greatest U.S. Modern Coins.
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Your quarter could be worth up to $50,000 if it has a rare error.
And your nickel could fetch $21,000 at auction if you spot the "three keys."