1982 Small print penny worth? 1 1

[Melfine]

I read on US Coin Guide that a 1982 D small date is worth some money is this true.? Enclosed is a pic of my 82 collection.

[Coinbuf]

On 10/14/2024 at 7:40 PM, Melfine said:

I read on US Coin Guide that a 1982 D small date is worth some money is this true.? Enclosed is a pic of my 82 collection.

Welcome to the forum, I am not familiar with that site but you are one of millions of victims of misinformation about this coin.   Yes the 1982 small date (not print this is not a t-shirt shop) minted in Denver with copper planchets is very rare and valuable, so far only two have been found.   The reason it is so rare and valuable is because there should not have been any minted in Denver.   This was a mistake, and the general consensus is that a few leftover copper planchets from 1981 were in a bin and mixed in with the copper coated zinc planchets that the Denver mint used to mint 1982 cents.  This may or may not be true, but what is true is that the coins in your photo are just common everyday normal coins, nothing out of the ordinary.

In 1982 the US mint minted seven different variations of the cent you can find this information in the "Guide Book of United States Coins" commonly referred to as the Red Book due to the red cover.    These sets of cents can be bought at most coin shops for $4-$7, here is a photo of what comes in these sets. 

 

Edited Tuesday at 10:23 PM by Coinbuf

[Greenstang]

Welcome to the forum.
What you read was partially right, as Coinbuf stated, it is the small date 1982D COPPER cent that is worth money.   
What you have is the common copper plated zinc coin.

[Henri Charriere]

Welcome to thr Forum!  

I thought I would take this opportunity to clarify a remark made by a colleague upstream.

He regrettably stated, in pertinent part, that you were "one of millions of victims of misinformation about this coin."

To paraphrase a former president of the United States, becoming a member of a coin collecting chat board particularly in the absence of an exchange of money for goods, makes you smart.  You asked a question and you had gotten some very good, sound advice. No harm done.

You should be commended for taking the right tack.  I wish you well in your future endeavors.

[VKurtB]

On 10/14/2024 at 9:40 PM, Melfine said:

I read on US Coin Guide that a 1982 D small date is worth some money is this true.? Enclosed is a pic of my 82 collection.

Do NOT chase this ultra-rarity. It is a foole’s errand. 1982-D small date in solid non-plated bronze. There are only TWO in existence of which I am aware. Same with the 1975 PROOF (non-circulating) dime with the missing S. Never get caught up in these silly treasure hunts. It’s a VERY bad look for a beginner. 

Edited Tuesday at 07:11 PM by VKurtB

[powermad5000]

You have a mixture of large dates and small dates to begin with. Clockwise from the first one on the upper left, 1982 (P) small date in nice condition and red color but has the look of copper plated zinc worth maybe $1-$2, 1982 (P) large date bronze with circulation wear and environmental damage worth face value, 1982 D small date zinc (the silvery color of the zinc is showing through on the top of Abe's head with environmental damage worth face value, and a 1982 D Large date bronze in circulated condition and brown in color worth about 3 cents.

The extremely expensive cents you read about were actual error coins for a transitional planchet, only two have been found, one in 2016 and one in 2019 and none since. There are literally hundreds of thousands of people searching for a third and weighing all their 1982 cents but no others have surfaced. There is no point in searching for one of these cents as it will surely lead to bitter disappointment.

[VKurtB]

On 10/16/2024 at 10:38 PM, powermad5000 said:

You have a mixture of large dates and small dates to begin with. Clockwise from the first one on the upper left, 1982 (P) small date in nice condition and red color but has the look of copper plated zinc worth maybe $1-$2, 1982 (P) large date bronze with circulation wear and environmental damage worth face value, 1982 D small date zinc (the silvery color of the zinc is showing through on the top of Abe's head with environmental damage worth face value, and a 1982 D Large date bronze in circulated condition and brown in color worth about 3 cents.

The extremely expensive cents you read about were actual error coins for a transitional planchet, only two have been found, one in 2016 and one in 2019 and none since. There are literally hundreds of thousands of people searching for a third and weighing all their 1982 cents but no others have surfaced. There is no point in searching for one of these cents as it will surely lead to bitter disappointment.

And if the best use of your time you can imagine is weighing all 1982-D cents, isn’t that just a little sad, or worse?