I found my first error/variety penny worth 500x face value. It is the 1998 wide AM variety penny that I found in change; others can still be found in circulation 20 years after they were made. The variety was produced by using the die (stamp to imprint coins) for a 1997 penny on the 1998 pennies by accident. All pennies from 1994-1997 had the a space between the A and M in AMERICA on purpose but the detail was changed (or supposed to be) in 1998 to the A and M touching. A quantity of wide AM pennies were accidentally minted in 1998, 1999, and 2000 but most were minted in 1998.
Wide AM 1998 penny
normal close AM 1998 penny
This small detail makes a huge difference in value to a coin collector. Unfortunately for me the 1998 is the least valuable and worth about $5 for a coin with very minor signs of circulation. The 1999 penny is the most valuable being worth about $60 in that condition. After searching all of my 1998, 1999, and 2000 pennies for about a year I found my first variety penny. I know it’s not going to make me rich but I had fun looking through my pile of change to get free money.
