I dont want to clean the 1943 copper penny cause i heard if you clean it, it is no longer an antique. Nearly all circulating pennies at that time were struck in zinccoated steel because copper. Fresh extremely fine 1943 copper cent in goldberg prelong beach auction. The unique composition of the coin lowgrade steel coated with zinc, instead of the previously 95%copperbased bronze composition has led to various nicknames, such as wartime cent, steel war penny, and steelie. The easiest way to determine if a 1943 cent is made of steel, and not copper, is to use a magnet. Copper penny pieces from 1943 is worth thousands of dollars. The 1943 interpretation of this coin is incredibly valuable to collectors due to its age, scarcity, and the uniqueness of the design. Ngc certifies rare 1942 and 1943 wrongplanchet cents. Rare you should hold onto including the 1943 penny.
Also came with a copper wheat penny which also fit nicely in an easter egg. Steel cents are attracted to a magnet, copper cents arent. Rare pennies you should hold onto including the 1943 penny. If you had a picture it would be helpful but it probably looks different then others. Just recently, a rare 1943 copper penny was auctioned for a million dollars, which is, of course, a staggering amount of money for most people. Rare pennies with images rare pennies, valuable coins. This item 1943 copper plated real us steel penny numismatic coin. The 1943 steel cent features the same victor david brenner design for the lincoln cent which had been in use since the first in 1909. Nearly all circulating pennies at that time were struck in zinccoated steel because copper and nickel were needed for the allied war effort.
Feb 20, 2017 according to the heritage auction site, only 10 1943 copper cents have been traced, along with a single dmint example and six smint coins. The penny was dated 1943s, but it was composed of copper, rather than the expected zinccoated steel. I would imagine a copper 1943 cent would look different then others. Fortunately, there are very easy tests to determine if your 1943 copper penny is genuine. The unique composition of the coin lowgrade steel coated with zinc, instead of the previously 95% copper based bronze composition has led to various nicknames, such as wartime cent, steel war penny, and steelie. Collectors 1943 copper coin, one of only 17 minted, was worth a. Two 1943 lincoln one cent wheat penny coin us steel no copper from wwii. Ngc certifies previously unaccounted 1943s bronze cent. The rare penny that most coin collectors would want to have been also produced in the year 1943 and its funny because that penny was created by mistake. Additionally, watch out for fake 1942 copper pennies that are actually just copper plated steel pennies of that same year. The 1943 steel cents are worth between a few cents and a few dollars, depending on condition. We take pride in providing the most accurate coin values and stats online.
Further authentication is required to see if its a legitimate 1943 copper cent. If you have a 1943 copper penny it is worth a lot more. Any genuine 1943 copper pennies are extremely rare mint errors. This lincoln head onecent piece was actually made of a copper alloy, called bronze, and although there are many coins considered more rare, none have achieved the notoriety that this coin has. The 1943 copper cent was produced at all three mints.
Rare 1943 copper coin could fetch a pretty penny in auction. Anyways i think it is real so i am gonna go to my local coin dealer and let them inspect for themself. A mintcondition, untouched penny could be worth a great deal more to the right buyer. Unfollow 1943 copper penny us to stop getting updates on your ebay feed.
Lutes set his 1943 copper penny aside to study it later when he found it in a bundle of change in the pittsfield high school cafeteria in 1947. How many 1943 copper pennies were minted in the us answers. Due to its rarity, an actual 1943 copper penny is worth tens of thousands of dollars, if not more. Skip to content skip to navigation go to accessibility information and assistance go to cart. The penny was dated 1943 s, but it was composed of copper, rather than the expected zinccoated steel. Zinccoated steel was used as the substitute metal composition and hence the new silver. As wings son tells it today, wing was 14 years old in 1944 when he made his rare penny find. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. Compare the digits on a 1943 steel cent with your coin. I dont ever recall really looking for 1943 copper cents in all the rolls i searched. Rare 1943 copper penny worth a million dollars check your pocket change for valuable coins duration.
If your 1943 cent looks copper, just like any other from the era, check it with a magnet, as many steel cents have been copper plated to simulate the rare copper cent. How many 1943 copperhead pennies are in circulation and. If your 1943 penny does not stick to the magnet, it may be a rare 1943 copper penny. Its delightful and amazing there are still examples of great numismatic rarities to be discovered and reported to the hobby. The value of a true 1943 copper canadian penny is worth a lot more than you will probably imagine. There is perhaps no better illustration than the copper lincoln cent of 1943.
Legendary 1943 copper lincoln penny heads for auction at. The mints cleared out all the old copper cent unstruck coins out of the big bins that fed the minting machines. Unfollow 1943 copper penny to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Get the best deals on 1943 lincoln wheat copper small cents when you shop the largest online selection at. One example is taking a 1943 steel penny and copper plating it with copper alloy. Rare 1943 copper coin fetches a pretty penny in auction. Mint switched from bronze planchets to zinccoated steel for cents in 1943 because copper was needed during world war ii. A single penny, a piece of collection of several thousand dollars. Nearly all pennies from 1943 are supposed to be steel cents. Yesterday i went metal detecting and found what i think is the rarest coin in america. He showed the 1943 copper penny to the director of the san francisco mint in 1948, who gave him the private opinion that it was genuine. The 1943 lincoln penny is made up of copper and has been described. Based in charleston, sc copper penny is a family owned and operated boutique with stores throughout the south. Bressett, editor of whitmans red book, witnessed the excitement.
How did the copper 1943 penny come along and how many were made. If the penny is attracted to the magnet, it is a steel cent, not copper. While the 1943 steel pennies are worth a few bucks, the rare copper version is worth more. Heres the truth about the values of the 1943 copper cents. I say i would rather find a 1943 copper cent now but back in the day when i was 14, i would have said 1909 svdb.
The 1943 copperalloy cent is one of the most enigmatic coins in american numismatics and reportedly the most valuable lincoln penny of all. Buy products related to steel penny 1943 products and see what customers say about. I think i have 1943 copper wheat penny anyone have any info on determining what i have. Unfollow 1943 copper penny american to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. A 1948 copper penny can be filed down on the left side of the 8, making it look like a 3 instead. In 1943, most pennies were made out of steel since copper was needed for world war ii, so the 1943 copper penny is ultrarare. It was nothing more then high school age boys entertaining themselves in the workplace. The us needed to allocate as much copper as possible for the war effort and this included copper used for minting lincoln cents at the us mint. An alternative story is presented for your consideration. While it cant speak for itself, this fascinating rarity is, without a doubt, one of the most talkedabout coins ever minted. Fresh extremely fine 1943 copper cent in goldberg prelong.
You can look up some auction sale prices, but they do no. A us army veteran, he would amass some 50,000 coins by the 1970s when he retired from the family manufacturing business, according to karpenski. What follows are a number of rare pennies you should hold onto if you ever come. Aug 30, 1981 fact and fantasy sometimes overlap in the realm of coins. Dealers, however, remained suspicious, and for years many still refused to believe in the existence of the 1943 copper penny. One of the rarest and most intriguing us coins is the 1943s bronze copper lincoln wheat cent. This reflects the publicity that the 1943 coin has received. Pennies can be lucky, especially if theyre 1943 copper wheat pennies. This is the first 1943 copper penny ive ever owned. Learn more about your silvercolored 1943 steel penny.
According to the american numismatic association, the 1943 copperalloy cent is one of the most idealized and potentially one of the most soughtafter items in american numismatics. A copper penny 1943 with two strike dates 1942 and 1943. My dad gave me his penny collection from when he was a kid. If its a 1943 copper penny, it could be worth as much as fifty thousand dollars. Fact and fantasy sometimes overlap in the realm of coins. A rare copper penny, considered a holy grail in coins, has been found in a. Another scenario of how the 1943 copper penny came to be. In 2010, a 1943 s graded ms62bn sold for a world record price for any u. The most notable and probably the most talked about coin in the history of collecting is the 1943 copper penny. In 1943 all pennies minted by the united states mint were made out of zinc plated steel because the united states needed copper for world. Roll of 1943 steel wheat pennies 50 penny cent unopened unsearched coins. To conserve copper for the war effort, cents were minted on zinc.
Just 40 of the coins probably created by accident, on copperalloy onecent blanks left in the presses in the wartime years when pennies were converted to steel are known to exist. Coins worth millions of dollars inevitably mean scams and fraud. Miller said 10 to 15 of the 1943 copper pennies exist today. The 1943 penny is one of 20 that were accidentally minted when the federal government was trying to conserve copper for world war ii. This page also shows coins listed for sale so you can buy and sell. The steel cent was also the only coin issued by the united states for circulation that does not contain any copper. As of 2010 this coin was worth 200,000 dollars and i am sure since then this coin has only increased in value and will. Because of its collector value, the 1943 copper cent has been counterfeited by coating steel cents with copper or by altering the dates of 1945, 1948, and 1949 pennies. If it looks more like a common brownish penny, it may be one of the rare copper 1943 pennies.
If your 1943 penny sticks to the magnet, it is a common steel cent and not worth the big bucks. If your penny has a copper colored appearance, here is how you can authenticate it and tell if it is a genuine 1943 solid copper penny or a fake one. We went through all the pennies, and some of them date back to 1903. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. How many 1943 copper pennies exist and how many have been. Others are fraud attempts, where someone has taken a genuine 1948 copper penny and cut the 8 in half, making it look like a 3. If that were true in a literal sense, the 1943 copper cent would have some intriguing tales to tell us. Another scenario of how the 1943 copper penny came to be coin collecting at bellaonline. How many 1943 copper pennies were minted in the us. A 1957 attempt by wings father to have the coin examined by the u.
A small number of copper planchets were left over from 1942 and were used in 1943 during the transition to steel planchets. According to the heritage auction site, only 10 1943 copper cents have been traced, along with a single dmint example and six smint coins. These days, a 1943 copper penny will likely earn you more than a new ford, but not from the car manufacturer. How many 1943 copperhead pennies are in circulation and how. There are many stories of how the 1943 copper penny came into existance. We looked it up to make sure it was real, by the way the 3 looks in the 1943. His dad gave it to him, and now he is giving it to me since i now have a child. Twelve of these pennies exist and a few of them are still in circulation, so it is worth keeping. Genuine 1943 copper cents are rare and hard to find, and they can be extremely valuable. Some were intended to be novelty items, and are just steel pennies dipped, or plated, in copper. Jul 18, 2007 my dad gave me his penny collection from when he was a kid. Should you find one of those numismatic rarities in your pocket change, youre going.
Two previously unknown 1943 copper cents and two other wrongplanchet errors were recently certified by ngc. If you think you have a 1943 copper cent, how can you tell if it is genuine. Jun 12, 2010 also the color is off because this penny never been clean, the dark color are from its orginal wear and age, i found the 1942 with the exact color until i clean it then it look more like new and brighter color. Hey all im new to coins but to make a long story short i purchased 15 rolls of wheat pennies at a flea market last weekend in search of the impossible 1943 copper penny.
People have made fake 1943 copper pennies and try to sell them off as if they are authentic. Geesh i guess you all have a bunch of 1943 pennies in your possession. Aug 04, 2008 contursi said his recentlyacquired 1943 bronze lincoln cent is quite special for him. For years there has been doubt that such a coin existed. Copper was in high demand for the war so the composition was changed. Nov 29, 20 they missed some because 1943 copper cents were later found in circulation. Related articles pcgs the standard for the rare coin industry.
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