Most Expensive Penny

Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Collectibles, United States on October 19th, 2007

Bearing Liberty’s head on one side and a circular chain on the other, the most expensive US penny is the 1793 Sheldon NC-1 Chain cent. The chain’s fifteen links surrounding the words “ONE CENT” represent the unity of the fifteen colonies extant in the US at the time. The design was simple enough to allow an appreciable relief of Liberty on the obverse side.

Designed and minted by Henry Voight, a reputedly unskilled die cutter, Chain cents were the first regularly minted coins in the United States. They drew criticism for the lack of artifice employed and for the use of the chain, which can easily be seen as symbolic of slavery. Due to this universal criticism, under 40,000 of these coins were minted before Voight hired Adam Eckfeldt to re-design the currency.

Most Expensive Penny
A 1793 Chain cent.

Fewer than 2,000 of these expensive pennies survive to this day. Five varieties of the Chain cent were minted before its discontinuation. After Dr. William H. Sheldon, author of “Penny Whimsy”, these varieties are referred to as Sheldon 1-4 and NC-1. Designated as non-collectible, NC-1 is the rarest of these varieties; only four are known to exist today. With an estimated value of $275,000, NC-1 is not only the rarest, but also the most expensive penny.


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(12) Comments

12 comments...What do you think?

  1. Posted by carla 14th January, 2009 at 2:46 am

    this is awsome you know i have a penny like that ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………(j.k) just kiding i wish but i didnt know such a coin can be so much money

  2. Posted by ben 18th January, 2009 at 10:19 am

    i have three

  3. Posted by trara 8th February, 2009 at 5:50 pm

    how much is the coin worth??

  4. Posted by DINO 2nd March, 2009 at 5:56 pm

    thats a lie that penny is not worth that much, i have an older penny than that and its only $20, 000

  5. Posted by Sam 22nd April, 2009 at 2:31 am

    i sold one in auction for 68,OOO but then if you find a good buyer u will get maybe double

  6. Posted by DANIEL 25th May, 2009 at 4:03 pm

    HOW MUCH IS A 2$ BILL WORTH?

  7. Posted by Tompee 16th June, 2009 at 9:55 am

    I’d say roughly 2$, if its a 1 cent coin then its worth 1 cent not ridiculous amounts of money for a piece of metal, why would somebody want it it doesnt do anything or provide anything useful

  8. Posted by Miles 9th September, 2009 at 10:32 pm

    Actually, the most expensive U.S. penny sold on Sunday,
    September 6th, 2009, for $1.1 million (without auction fee). It is a “1795 Reeded Edge – Sheldon 79″ and was sold at the Dan Holmes Collection auction in Beverly Hills, California.

    To answer Tompee – why is it worth so much? – it is a work of art much as a painting is more than just a piece of canvass.

  9. Posted by Axel 8th December, 2009 at 10:44 pm

    I have 5 of those and a value of $1.2 mil. And I’m proud of it! Make offer!!!!

  10. Posted by mo 13th January, 2010 at 2:49 pm

    5 pennys

  11. Posted by George 20th January, 2010 at 6:57 pm

    I bought a handful of large cents in a small paper bag at a flea market. I didn’t look at all of them at the time.They all semed to be Coronet cents and Braided Hair Cents.
    When I got home, there was a 1793 chain cent with them.
    I’m no expert on coins.
    I did some research, and I believe its real.
    I’m not sure if I want to sell it, or hold on to it right now.
    To be safe,I have it in a safty deposit box at the bank.
    Any ideas where I could get top dollar for it ?
    Don’t say Ebay

  12. Posted by erik 1st March, 2010 at 1:47 pm

    just because the coin is older, doesnt mean its value increases, the rarity is the highest factor, a saint gaudens gold double eagle sold for 17 million, and that is as young as the great depression.

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