Key Dates and Mints of Modern USD Common Coins
When you are organizing your clad coins found from your metal detecting adventures, consider putting the following coins to the side, rather than depositing them in a bank, dropping them into the local Coinstar machine, or using them for a purchase.
The list below is key dates and mints of clad coins and wheat cents, also known as Wheaties, that could be worth more than face value. I would like to thank Wade H, also known as WalkInH2o in the Friendly Metal Detecting forum, and a metal detecting buddy who scoured the internet, reading dozens of websites to put the original list together. As I find more I add to it. The list doesn’t include anything rare, older, or silver, which is assumed would be kept. The list also doesn’t include every coin that might have die stamp errors. If you see a die stamp error, obviously investigate it further.
TOMLOV Coin Microscope
LCD digital microscope equipped with two additional LED side lights, to look at coin dates and coin errors.
This list is just focusing mostly on modern findable clad and wheat pennies that can easily be found by beginner detectorists to advanced detectorists or given as coin change from a purchase or bank.
Please feel free to send us a message to add any common coins or Wheaties you noticed we missed.
Key Dates – The premier dates that serious collectors seek out.
Semi Key Dates – A step down from the key dates. These are also sought after, just not as heavily.
Better Dates? – Dates that make the coin slightly more valuable in general, but not enough to make it a key date.
$1 Coins
- 2007 P George Washington missing “In God We Trust” on edge (Rare Error Coin)
Washington Quarters
- 1971 D (Better Date)
- 1971 P (Better Date)
- 1971 S (Better Date)
- 1974 D (Better Date)
- 1982 D (Better Date)
- 1985 P (Better Date)
- 1988 P (Better Date)
- 1992 D (Better Date)
- 1992 P (Better Date)
- 1997 D (Better Date)
- 2004 D With Extra Corn Stalk Leaf (Rare Error Coin)
- 2005 P “In God We Rust” (Rare Error Coin)
- 2019-2020 W – West Point Mind Mark
Rarest “State” Quarters – Not super valuable, but these are the rarer ones.
- 2008 D Oklahoma
- 2004 P Iowa
- 2002 P Ohio
- 2003 P Maine
- 2008 P Oklahoma
- 2003 P Alabama
- 2003 P Missouri
- 2003 P Illinois
- 2004 D Michigan
- 2004 P Wisconsin
Rarest “State Park” Quarters
- 2010 D Arizona, Grand Canyon
- 2011 P Oklahoma, Chickasaw
- 2012 P Hawaii, State Volcanos
- 2012 D New Mexico, Chaco Culture
- 2012 P Puerto Rico, El Yunque
- 2013 P Ohio, Perry’s Victor
- 2013 D Maryland, Fort McHenry
- 2014 P Colorado, Great Sand Dunes
- 2014 P Virginia, Shenandoah
Roosevelt Dimes
- 1968 (Better Date) No Mint
- 1970 (Better Date) No Mint
- 1975 (Better Date) No Mint
- 1979 P (Key Date)
- 1982 P (Semi-Key Date)
- 1982 (Better Date) No Mint
- 1980 S (Better Date)
- 1982 (Rare Error Coin)
- 1983 P (Better Date)
- 1983 (Better Date) No Mint
- 1995 S (Key Date) 90% Silver – 10% Copper
Jefferson Nickel
- 1938 (Semi-Key Date)
- 1942-1945 – War Nickels have a high content of silver, 35%.
- 1950 D (Semi-Key Date)
- 1952 S (Better Date)
- 1952 D (Semi-Key Date)
- 1954 S (Better Date)
- 1954 D (Better Date)
- 1962 D (Better Date)
- 1963 D (Better Date)
- 1964 (Key Date)
- 1964 D (Key Date)
- 1970 D (Better Date)
- 1982 P (Better Date)
- 2005 D Speared Bison (Rare Error Coin)
- 2009 P
- 2009 D
Memorial Penny
- 1952 S (Better Date)
- 1960 D (Key Date) Small Date Penny
- 1960 D (Key Date) D Over D Small Date Over Large Date Penny
- 1969 S (Key Date) Doubled Die Obverse Variety
- 1970 S (Key Date) Small Date Variety
- 1971 (Key Date) Doubled Die Obverse Penny
- 1972 (Key Date) Doubled Die Obverse Variety
- 1979 S (Better Date) Proof Penny
- 1981 S (Better Date) Proof Penny
- 1982 D (Key Date) Bronze Small Date
- 1983 (Key Date) Doubled Die Reverse Variety
- 1984 (Key Date) Doubled Die Obverse Penny
- 1989 D (Key Date)
- 1992 (Key Date) Close AM Penny
- 1992 D (Key Date)
- 1995 (Better Date) – (No Mint Date)
- 1998 S (Key Date)
- 1998 (Key Date) Wide AM Penny
- 1999 (Key Date) Close AM Penny
- 1999 (Key Date) Wide AM Penny
- 2000 (Key Date) Wide AM Penny
Lincoln Bicentennial Penny
- 2009 – Log cabin Lincoln’s birth home.
- 2009 – Young Lincoln sitting on a log.
- 2009 – Lincoln’s professional life, being a lawyer.
- 2009 – U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Lincoln’s presidency.
Shield Penny
- 2017 P (Key Date) – This was the first time that one-cent coins had the “P”.
- 2019 W (Key Date) – In February 2019, the Mint announced that its West Point branch would produce Shield pennies with a “W” mint mark. They were not released into circulation. However, they were minted for collector’s sets, so there’s a chance that you may encounter them.
Wheat Penny
- 1909 (VDB) (Better Date)
- 1909 (Better Date)
- 1909 S (VDB) (Key Date)
- 1909 S (Key Date)
- 1910 S (Semi-Key Date)
- 1911 S (Semi-Key Date)
- 1911 D (Better Date)
- 1912 S (Semi-Key Date)
- 1912 D (Better Date)
- 1913 S (Semi-Key Date)
- 1913 D (Better Date)
- 1914 S (Semi-Key Date)
- 1914 D (Key Date)
- 1915 S (Semi-Key Date)
- 1917 S (Better Date)
- 1917 D (Better Date)
- 1918 S (Better Date)
- 1918 D (Better Date)
- 1921 (Better Date)
- 1921 S (Better Date)
- 1922 D (Semi-Key Date)
- 1924 D (Semi-Key Date)
- 1926 S (Semi-Key Date)
- 1926 D (Better Date)
- 1931 S (Key Date)
- 1931 D (Better Date)
- 1937 D (Better Date)
- 1937 S (Better Date)
- 1942 S (Better Date)
- 1943 S (Copper) (Rare Error Coin)
- 1943 S (Steel) (Better Date)
- 1949 S (Better Date)
Joanna Jana Laznicka, a Czech-Canadian residing in Southern California, is passionate about all things associated with metal detecting. She mainly detects on the West Coast, from Southern California to Northern British Columbia. As the founder of Focus Speed, her goal is to bring quality content to metal detectorists.
