You will be amazed at what you may find if you take a few minutes and sort through your change jar!

4. Old Jefferson Nickels

Jefferson Nickels have been produced since 1938. You can typically tell an older one vs. a newer one based on the color. Older nickels are typically a darker gray and not shiny.

Wartime nickels, which were made from 1942 through 1945, contain silver. These silver “nickels” are worth about $1.50 and up and can be found in circulation. I have personally found a few of these throughout the years.

You can readily identify a Wartime nickel due to the large “P,” “D,” or “S” mintmark above the dome of Monticello on the reverse.

All Jefferson nickels made in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s are increasingly scarce in circulation.

Nickels made before 1960 are worth an average of 10 to 50 cents each. The 1939-D and 1939-S are worth about $5 to $10 each, and the 1950-D sells for almost $20.

5. Silver Coins

These are my favorite coins to find in my pocket change!

Any dime or quarter with a date of 1964 or before, is made of silver and worth more than the coin value itself.

Silver Roosevelt dimes are worth around $2 to $3 each while silver Washington quarters have a value of $4 to $5 each.

40% silver Kennedy half dollars and 90% silver Kennedy halves are most commonly found in bank rolls instead of actual pocket change. These are worth about $3.50 and $7.

The value fluctuates as the price of silver varies day to day.

There are some key dates to look for that are worth far more than just the silver value.