Spare change is something we probably all have in our wallet, a piggy bank or possibly even the couch cushions. We usually don’t think too much of this money, considering it of little value. After all, most coins aren’t all that valuable, right?

Our kids learn the basic values of coins in elementary school. A penny is worth one cent. A nickel is worth five cents, and so on.

Hold on. One rare nickel recently sold on eBay for over $1000. The value of a coin can actually be much, much more than what we learned in elementary school.

This rare nickel was from the buffalo nickel series. Buffalo nickels were produced from 1913 through 1938. The nickels feature a buffalo on the tails side of the coin.

Today, even an ordinary buffalo nickel is worth approximately $2 or $3 depending on where it was produced. If it was produced in Philadelphia, it is worth about $2, but buffalo nickels produced in Denver and San Francisco are worth $3. ,

The value of a buffalo nickel goes way up if it was never in circulation or if it has a rare error. The buffalo nickel that recently sold on eBay had an error that is rare but easy to spot if you know what you’re looking for.

You’ll need to look at the buffalo on the nickel, and look closely at the buffalo’s legs. All buffalo nickels were supposed to have four legs, but on some rare nickels, one of the buffalo’s legs is somewhat obscured making it look more like it has 3 and a half legs. According to Ron Guth, the president of the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), this error occurred due to “overpolishing of the reverse die, resulting in loss of detail on the front foreleg.”

This rare coin was originally listed on eBay for one cent. Then, after a bidding war between 7 bidders, the final sale price went up to $1027.04. Some coins with the same error have sold for more than $14,000. If the coin was never in circulation, it could sell for twice as much.

If you want to see if you have any coins with hidden value, start by looking at the coins you already have. If you see something you think might be valuable, you can search for that coin on eBay to see what buyers are willing to pay. If you don’t have any rare coins, you can go to the bank and exchange dollar bills for rolls of coins to potentially find something rare at no extra cost.

Watch the video below to learn more about rare buffalo nickels and other things to look for besides the 3 and a half leg buffalo.