How to Spot Shield Cent Errors & How Much They’re Worth

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Check for these valuable Lincoln shield pennies in your coin collection

Co-authored by Max Hockley and Hunter Rising

Last Updated: August 18, 2026 Fact Checked

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Valuable Shield Penny Errors List

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Shield Penny Value

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Common Penny Errors

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What affects value?

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Shield pennies were first introduced in 2010 and were made until 2025 when pennies stopped being produced. While many of the recent pennies go through quality control, there are still some common coin errors that got through and became valuable to collectors. Keep reading, and we’ll walk you through the most well-known and valuable shield penny errors as well as some other common penny errors that you may find in your collection, with insights from a numismatics expert and coin collector.

Most Valuable Shield Pennies Visual Guide

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An illustration showing the different errors on shield pennies, including double dies, extra V, and strike throughs.

Shield pennies were minted from 2010-2025. The most common errors are double dies that have doubled numbers or letters, die breaks that have ridges, and strike throughs that are missing details. The value of shield penny errors depends on the coin’s condition and error, but prices can range from $10 to over $1,000 USD.

Section 1 of 4:

Valuable Shield Penny Errors List

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2014 P Double Die Penny Pennies made at the Philadelphia mint in 2014 may have a double die error. Coin collector Ryan Quinlan explains that double die errors have “doubling on letters or numbers” after a die presses into the coin multiple times.^{[1]
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Ryan Quinlan
Coin Collector

Expert Interview} When you look at 2014 pennies, look for thicker letters in the word “Liberty” or numbers in the date.^{[2]
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- Value: $9,030 USD in mint condition
Meet the wikiHow Experts

Max Hockley is a numismatics and precious metals expert with over 15 years of experience collecting coins. He’s also the creator of the Silverpicker YouTube channel, where he educates and entertains people about numismatics.

Ryan Quinlan is a coin collector with over 10 years of experience. He shares content on coin collecting, silver stacking, and metal detecting on his YouTube channel, @QuinsCoins.
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2023 Extra V Lincoln Cent Most Lincoln pennies have the letters “VDB” on the bottom-left side of Lincoln, which are the initials of the original portrait artist. This 2023 version of the coin has an additional V printed to the right of the initials.^{[3]
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- Value: $6,806 USD
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2019 W Shield Cent The 2019 W shield cent were the first pennies made in the West Point Mint, and they have a W printed just below the date. Only 346,000 of these pennies were made and they weren’t meant for normal circulation, so they’re hard to find and worth a lot because of it.^{[4]
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- Value: $4,612 USD
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2015 Split Die Penny The 2015 split die penny has a crack going through Lincoln from one side of the coin to the other. Split die errors happen when the original die breaks into multiple pieces, and leaves ridges on the face of the minted coins.^{[5]
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- Value: $170 USD
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2016 2% Off Center Penny The 2016 penny minted in Philadelphia had slightly misaligned dies when the coins were made. These coins have a design that’s off-center and partially cut off, leaving a blank crescent shape along the edge of the face.^{[6]
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- Value: $100+ USD
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2018 D Double Ear Lincoln Penny The 2018 pennies minted in Denver also had some doubling, though the error is less noticeable around the words and dates. Instead, look near the bottom-left side of Lincoln’s ear to spot the duplicate mark.^{[7]
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- Value: $10-100 USD
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2019 Die Break Penny Die breaks occur when a piece of the die cracks or chips off during the minting process, and it leaves cracks or damage on the face of the coin. This die break has a horizontal ridge running underneath the date, but you may also see die breaks vertically near the letters giving them a “bleeding” effect.^{[8]
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- Value: $40-50 USD
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2015 P Double Die Penny The 2015 pennies made in Philadelphia have slight doubling around the letters and numbers. Check the date for extra thickness or doubling along the right edges of the numbers.^{[9]
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- Value: $15-25 USD
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2015 Strike Through Penny While the front of the 2015 penny made in Philadelphia may look normal, some of the reverse sides with the shield have obscured or blurry details. Strike throughs occur when too much grease gets applied to the dies, and the designs do not transfer clearly onto the coins. While some strike through errors are large like the 2015 penny, others may only leave small marks on the coin’s surface.^{[10]
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- Value: $20 USD
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2019 P Double Die Penny The double die obverse (DDO) error on the 2019 shield pennies are a little harder to find, but they’re still present around the numbers on the date. While the 9s on regular shield pennies tend to already look thick, you can spot this double die error by noticing the thicker top of the 0 and the large angle in the bottom-left corner of the 2.^{[11]
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- Value: $10-15 USD

Section 2 of 4:

Are shield penny errors worth money?

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Shield penny errors are worth money when the coins are in good condition. Any error on a shield penny can boost the value from 1 cent to a couple of dollars. However, don’t expect a penny error to rake in a ton of money. Only the rarest shield penny errors that are in mint condition have price tags that are worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.
- Numismatics expert Max Hockley notes that because these coins are super modern and the newest ones, there aren’t any that have major value. Though, there are some collectible ones.^{[12]
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Section 3 of 4:

Other Common Penny Errors

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Off-center strikes^{[13]
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Max Hockley
Numismatics and Precious Metals Expert

Expert Interview} Off-center strikes occur when the dies are misaligned on the planchet, and leave a portion of the coin blank. While some off-center strikes are subtle, others may cut off almost half of the coin’s design.^{[14]
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- According to Hockley, there's only a certain number of known types of errors. There aren’t going to be new types of errors because the manufacturing process is the same as it was with old coins.^{[15]
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Double die Hockley explains that this is where the coin gets struck twice, and there's a doubling of the features.^{[16]
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Max Hockley
Numismatics and Precious Metals Expert

Expert Interview} Typically, the coin is struck once correctly and then struck again, slightly off-center. Some coins are even struck multiple times.^{[17]
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If a piece of the coin die breaks off during the minting process, it can leave a blank section called a “cud” near the rim. These cuds usually have a raised area on one side of the coin and a recessed area on the other.^{[18]
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Rim clips happen when a coin isn’t positioned correctly during minting and a portion along the edge gets cut off. Clips can either be a straight cut or a curved divot removed from the side of the coin. With a portion of the coin missing, collectors are eager to add these to their collection.^{[19]
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Planchet errors The planchets are the blank circular metal pieces that coins are struck onto. Sometimes, the wrong planchet is used at the mint, resulting in a unique coin like a penny struck onto a dime. These misprints are rare, but collectors are always on the lookout for them.
- Hockley notes that a clipped planchet is a major error where a portion of the coin was clipped off during the manufacturing process.^{[20]
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BIE pennies have a small die break between the B and E in the word “Liberty” on the front of the coin. The break looks like the letter “I,” making the word look like it’s spelled incorrectly. Most BIE pennies were struck in the 1950s.^{[21]
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Broadstrike pennies occur when coins don’t have a retaining collar around them when they’re struck. When they’re minted, the metal expands wider than the coin’s normal diameter, leaving blank metal around the coin’s main design.^{[22]
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Hockley notes that mule coins are some of the most exciting errors because one denomination is minted on one side but a different one is pressed onto the other. For example, you may have a penny design on the front and a dime design on the back.^{[23]
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Max Hockley
Numismatics and Precious Metals Expert

Expert Interview}

Section 4 of 4:

What makes error coins valuable?

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Even though smaller errors still can raise the value of a coin, larger ones are more noticeable and desirable for collectors. If the error stands out and is easier to spot without special tools, it can draw in a lot more money if you try to sell them.^{[24]
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Condition Collectors want to display coins that are near perfect condition and haven’t been in regular circulation. If the coin is dull, damaged, or worn out, it may still get you a little cash, but the mint condition coins will always sell for more.^{[25]
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- Only errors made during the minting process are valuable, notes Hockley. Any damage made after the coin is already made and circulated, which is called Post-Mint Damage (PMD), is not worth anything and can actually decrease the value of the coin.^{[26]
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- On the other hand, Hockley explains that damage during the minting process increases the value of a coin.^{[27]
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- PMD can include general wear and tear (like damage from being in your pocket), from a machine, or being run over by a train or lawnmower, Hockley says.^{[28]
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Mintage The mintage is how many of a specific coin were produced. If the coin has a large mint run and there are a lot of copies, then the value starts to go down. If only a few were made, then the coins are even rarer and worth a lot more too.^{[29]
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Some coins are just more desirable to collectors than others. If an error coin is well known and sought after a lot, then they’re usually more valuable than others.^{[30]
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