5-Cent Coins Worth Thousands? The Rare Mint Error Collectors Are Hunting For

These days you’d be hard-pressed to find a single item available at a store for a nickel. So you can be forgiven if you toss your 5-cent coins into a jar or car cup holder along with your unwanted pennies.

Not all nickels are worth just $0.05, however. Some are valued at thousands, hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars because of limited runs, minting errors, unique designs or exceptional preservation. And with investors’ growing appetite for rare U.S. coins, your everyday pocket change may be holding a hidden treasure.

Quick Look: Most Valuable Nickels Rare Nickel Current Value 1913 Liberty Head nickel $4.56 million 1918/7-D Buffalo nickel $350,750 1926-S Buffalo nickel $322,000 1916 Doubled Die Obverse Buffalo nickel $281,750 1880 Shield nickel $198,995 Table of Con