Do You Have A Rare 1989 Penny Worth $3,000? Here’s The Scoop On 1989 Pennies & Their Value: It’s real! One of them might be in your pocket change. I’ll tell you where to find this uncommon 1989-D penny, how much it’s worth, and how much all of your other 1989 pennies are worth.
Do You Have A Rare 1989 Penny Worth $3,000? Here’s The Scoop On 1989 Pennies & Their Value
Why Are Some 1989 Pennies Rare & Valuable?
One type of old penny is worth more than another. A very rare 1989-D penny is worth a lot more! The metal used to make circulation-strike pennies from 1989 is usually copper-plated zinc. That zinc mix should be used to make many pennies from 1982 and all business-strike pennies made since 1983.
In the years since 1982, when the US Mint switched from making 95% copper pennies to 97.5% zinc pennies, there have been some problems with the metal parts of Lincoln pennies. It looks like a few 1989-D pennies were made by mistake on 95% copper planchets from before 1983.
These copper planchets from the 1989 penny were struck seven years after the last copper Lincoln cents were supposed to be made. Not much is known about how they got there. But we do know that these very rare coins that aren’t made of metal are very valuable.
How To Find A Rare 1989-D Penny
Yes, it is pretty cool that these uncommon 1989-D pennies are worth more than $3,000 to some people. But there’s more good news: you can find these valuable coins in your pocket change!
How can you tell the difference between a common 1989-D penny and a rare 1989-D copper penny? Near the date, look for the “D” mintmark, which means it was made at the Denver Mint. Following?
- The valuable copper penny from 1989-D is about 3.11 grams heavy.
- A normal 1989-D penny made of zinc weighs about 2.5 grams.
A coin scale can tell you how much your 1989 penny weighs, or you can drop it and listen for the difference:
Coins made of zinc will make a dull clicking sound when they hit something hard, like a table.
- When copper pennies hit hard surfaces, they make a quiet, bell-like sound.
- Most of the time, dropping coins on hard surfaces is not a good idea. It’s fine in this case, though, since you’re dealing with common coins.
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There are other 1980s copper Lincoln pennies that are valuable and hard to find. Some of these are:
- 1982-D Copper Lincoln penny with a small date
- Nickel made of copper from 1983-D
What Are Other 1989 Pennies Worth?
If you don’t have the rare 1989-D copper penny, your worn-out 1989 and 1989-D pennies are only worth their face value. But that doesn’t mean all of your 1989 pennies are worthless!
Today, these 1989 pennies are worth the following amounts:
- 1989 Philadelphia penny (no mintmark): 7,261,535,000 made, worth 10 to 25 cents or more.
- 1989-D penny: 5,345,467,111 made, worth 10 to 25 cents or more
1989-S proof penny (San Francisco): 3,220,948 made, worth $2+ The above values are for 1989 pennies that have never been used or tampered with. As was already said, all worn 1989 and 1989-D pennies that are regular issues (not flawed) are worth their face value.
