The rare coins are pennies, they were minted in 1914 and have the letter "D" under the date. If you find one, it could be worth 200 bucks and there are five in circulation in Houston right now!
April Hayes is like most people in Houston; she has a handful of change that never gets a second look.
"I drop it in the bottom of my purse or in my little pockets," Hayes said. "And it stays there."
But now everyone in town has fair warning, a penny worth $200 is being circulated in Houston. In fact, five of them are being passed at stores right now as a promotion for the upcoming Greater Houston Coin Club's show at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
"Why are these ones $200?" we asked Carl Schwenker with the Greater Houston Coin Club.
Because of the rarity; they just did not make that many of them, and the ones that were made, many of them they pretty much look like they have been run over by a truck," he said.
Schwenker says if you find the 1914 one cent coin with the letter "D" under Lincoln's chin, the coin club will buy it back from you for $200. But you have to find one of their specially marked coins to get the $200. If you already have one in your collection, it may only be worth a little over $100, depending on its condition.
It's the club's way of generating buzz, but looking at your money can be profitable.
Kevin Scace with the coin club found a dime worth several dollars recently.
"In fact about six months ago, I went to the store and went through the change, my had it and I went, 'That's a silver dime.' And she said, 'What are you talking about?' and I said, 'You can tell by the color and look,' and actually it was a 1942 dime," Scace said.
No matter who gets the rare pennies, Hayes plans to keep a closer eye on her change from now on.
"My mom always says, 'If you see a penny pick it up, it's good luck,' so I do that anyway," Hayes said.
If you find the coin, head down to the coin show this weekend for your $200. It's open to the public starting this Thursday at the GRB.
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