Copyright © 2026 OyList. All Rights Reserved.
Share
Items20
1
Lincoln cent
Wheat reverse, 1909 to 1958
Flip every cent: two stalks of wheat on the back instead of a building or a shield means it was struck between 1909 and 1958, and it has been passed hand to hand for at least 68 years. These are the classic first find, still turning up in rolls and jars, and the common dates are plentiful, which is exactly why they make a good first set to build by date. Check the mint mark below the date, D for Denver or S for San Francisco, since some dates and mints are much scarcer than others.
More about Lincoln cent2
1943 steel cent
A gray wheat cent dated 1943 is the wartime steel issue, made when copper was needed for the war, and a fridge magnet will grab it. It is the long shot on this list: the Mint gathered up and destroyed large numbers after they circulated into the 1960s, so most turn up in old jars and inherited tins rather than today's change. Ignore the viral posts about a fortune, though. The valuable 1943 cents are the rare copper strikes, and a copper-colored 1943 that sticks to a magnet is a plated steel cent, not one of them.
More about 1943 steel cent3
Lincoln cent
Bronze cents dated 1982 and earlier
Before 1982 the cent was a copper alloy; from that year it became zinc with a thin copper skin. A cheap kitchen scale settles which is which: the older cents weigh about 3.11 grams and the zinc ones about 2.5. Apart from the 1943 steel year, every date before 1982 is the heavier copper type, while 1982 itself was struck in both, so that year is the one worth weighing. Many collectors set the copper ones aside simply because they will never be made again, and now that no cents are struck for circulation the whole denomination is heading the same way.
More about Lincoln cent4
Lincoln cent
2009 Lincoln Bicentennial cents
For one year only, the cent carried four different backs marking 200 years since Lincoln's birth: his birthplace in Kentucky, the young Lincoln studying, Lincoln standing before the Illinois State Capitol, and the US Capitol under construction during his presidency. That makes a ready-made four-coin set from nothing but change, and a satisfying one, because the designs are easy to tell apart at a glance. Look for the 2009 date on the front and then check which scene is on the back.
More about Lincoln cent5
Lincoln cent
2017-P cent
Philadelphia struck cents for decades without any mint mark, so a cent with no letter under the date usually comes from there. In 2017 the cent carried a P for the first time, and those coins began appearing in circulation that January. It is not rare, but it is a neat one-year oddity that most people never notice, and it rewards the habit of reading the small letter under every date.
More about Lincoln cent6
Lincoln cent
Union shield cents, 2010 to 2025
The shield on the back of every cent since 2010 is now a closed series: the striking of circulating cents stopped in November 2025, and the 2026 cent is made only for collectors' sets. That turns the most ordinary coin in the jar into an easy, finite date run of 2010 to 2025 from both Philadelphia and Denver. Expect face value for almost all of them; the appeal is filling every date and mint before they drift out of everyday use.
More about Lincoln cent7
Jefferson nickel
Wartime silver nickels, 1942 to 1945
The one nickel worth checking every time you see a 1940s date. To save nickel for the war, these were struck in an alloy that is 35% silver, and the Mint flagged them with a large mint mark above Monticello's dome on the back, including a P for Philadelphia, the first time that mark appeared on a US coin. They are scarce in change now, but a big letter over the building is unmistakable, and the silver content means each one is worth more than its face value.
More about Jefferson nickel8
Jefferson nickel
Westward Journey nickels, 2004 and 2005
Four backs marking the Lewis and Clark expedition replaced Monticello for two years: a peace medal and a keelboat in 2004, then an American bison and a stretch of coastline with Clark's words "Ocean in view! O! The Joy!" in 2005. The 2005 coins also have a one-year portrait of Jefferson with "Liberty" traced from his own handwriting. All four still turn up in ordinary change, which makes this the most rewarding set a beginner can finish without spending a cent over face value.
More about Jefferson nickel9
Roosevelt dime
Silver Roosevelt dimes, 1946 to 1964
Any Roosevelt dime dated 1964 or earlier is 90% silver; from 1965 the Mint switched to the copper-nickel sandwich still used today. The quickest way to spot one in a stack is the edge: a clad dime shows a copper stripe, a silver one is bright all the way around. Silver dimes are uncommon in change because people pull them out, but they remain legal tender and still slip through, and each is worth well over ten cents for its metal alone.
More about Roosevelt dime10
United States Semiquincentennial coinage
2026 Emerging Liberty dime
The first new circulating dime design since 1946, and a one-year issue: a Liberty in a liberty cap on the front with the dual date 1776 ~ 2026, and an eagle in flight on the back. It began shipping to the Federal Reserve on January 5, 2026, and Roosevelt is due back in 2027, so this is the easiest piece of the 250th anniversary to pull from change right now. Keep a P and a D example while they are fresh; the nickel, still struck for circulation with its usual design, carries the same dual date if you want a matching pair.
More about United States Semiquincentennial coinage11
Washington quarter
Silver Washington quarters, 1932 to 1964
The quarter followed the dime from 90% silver to clad, with 1964 the last silver date and 1965 the first clad one. The edge test works here too, and it is quicker on a quarter's wider rim: silver all the way through, with no copper stripe. Only the date on the front can confirm it, so make a habit of checking any quarter with the old eagle back. Finding one is a genuine event rather than a weekly occurrence, and the silver it holds is worth several times its face value.
More about Washington quarter12
United States Bicentennial coinage
Bicentennial quarter, dated 1776-1976
A colonial drummer with a torch of victory and thirteen stars, and the double date 1776-1976 where the year would normally be. More than 1.6 billion were struck for circulation at Philadelphia and Denver, so this is the coin most people find first, and the one that proves change is worth looking at. Because so many were made, ordinary circulated examples remain inexpensive. The silver-clad versions with an S mint mark were sold to collectors, so one in a cash register is a lucky stray rather than something to expect.
More about United States Bicentennial coinage13
America the Beautiful quarters
W mint mark quarters, 2019 and 2020
Forget the full park checklist and hunt for one letter. In 2019 the West Point Mint struck 2 million of each of that year's five park quarters with a W, the first time the mark appeared on a circulating coin, and mixed them into bags of ordinary P and D quarters to get people looking. West Point struck 2 million of each of 2020's five designs too, and those also carry a small V75 mark for the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. The W sits to the right of Washington's ponytail, so a quick glance at each 2019 or 2020 quarter is all the hunt takes.
More about America the Beautiful quarters14
United States Semiquincentennial coinage
2026 Semiquincentennial quarters
Five one-year quarters mark the 250th anniversary, each with the dual date 1776 ~ 2026: the Mayflower Compact, the Revolutionary War, the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution and the Gettysburg Address. The Mint released them for circulation one after another between January and October 2026, so the later designs are still working their way into cash registers and the full five-coin run is a realistic goal from change alone. Turn over every bright new quarter; the Mayflower Compact ship pictured here was the first of the five to appear.
More about United States Semiquincentennial coinage15
Kennedy half dollar
Silver Kennedy halves, 1964 and 1965 to 1970
Half dollars rarely appear in change on their own, but most banks will supply them, and boxes of halves are where silver still hides. A 1964 Kennedy is 90% silver; those dated 1965 to 1970 are 40% silver, and from 1971 the coin has none. That gives a simple rule for sorting a box: pull every date up to 1970. The 1964 coins were hoarded almost as soon as they appeared, so the 40% years are the likelier find, and either is worth more than fifty cents in metal.
More about Kennedy half dollar16
United States Bicentennial coinage
Bicentennial half dollar and dollar, dated 1776-1976
The quarter's bigger siblings complete a three-coin set. The half dollar shows Independence Hall on the back; the Eisenhower dollar has the Liberty Bell set against the moon, designed by a 22-year-old student who drew it for a class assignment. Both turn up mostly in bank boxes of halves and dollars rather than loose change, and like the quarter they were struck in huge numbers, so a circulated pair costs nothing beyond face value to keep.
More about United States Bicentennial coinage17
United States Semiquincentennial coinage
2026 Enduring Liberty half dollar
The Kennedy half steps aside for 2026: this one shows a close view of the Statue of Liberty on the front and, on the back, Liberty passing her torch to a new generation. It went out to the Federal Reserve with the new dime on January 5, 2026, so it can turn up in a bank box of halves ordered this year. It is the most striking of the anniversary coins to hold, and the one most likely to vanish into drawers, because few people spend half dollars.
More about United States Semiquincentennial coinage18
Susan B. Anthony dollar
The coin people keep mistaking for a quarter, which is exactly how it ends up in change. Struck from 1979 to 1981 and again in 1999, it is close to a quarter in size and color, and that confusion helped make it so unpopular that production was suspended after three years. Feel for the eleven-sided frame around Anthony's portrait to tell them apart. Almost all are worth a dollar, but on 1979 Philadelphia coins check the date: a well-known variety with the date sitting closer to the rim sells for more than the regular issue.
More about Susan B. Anthony dollar19
Sacagawea dollar
Sacagawea and Native American dollars, 2000 to 2011
The golden dollar gets its color from manganese brass over a copper core, and it is still accepted in everyday spending even though it never caught on. Since 2009 the back has changed every year, but after the 2011 issue all dollar coins were struck for collectors only. So a golden dollar from change is almost certainly dated 2000 to 2011, and the 2009 to 2011 backs make a short three-coin run worth assembling alongside the soaring eagle of the earlier years.
More about Sacagawea dollar20
Presidential dollar coins
Presidential dollars, 2007 to 2011
A different president on every coin, the Statue of Liberty on every back, and the date and mint mark lettered around the edge rather than on the faces. Circulation striking was suspended in December 2011 and later coins were made only for collectors, so the ones you can meet in change run from George Washington in 2007 to James Garfield in 2011. Always tilt one to read the edge: some 2007 Washington dollars left the Mint with no edge lettering at all, an error at least 50,000 strong that collectors still hunt.
More about Presidential dollar coins
