Further authentication is required to see if its a legitimate 1943 copper cent. One of the rarest and most intriguing us coins is the 1943 d bronze copper lincoln wheat cent. 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. His dad gave it to him, and now he is giving it to me since i now have a child. Another method was to add a plated layer to a 1943 steel cent, which can be detected with a magnet. Sheridans lincoln wheat cent coin grab bag 55 wheat cents with five 1943 steel cents. I think the banker took them for himself as they came in. This is a real us 1943 penny that has been copper plated.
Nearly all circulating pennies at that time were struck in zinccoated steel because copper. 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. Unfollow 1943 copper penny to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Related articles pcgs the standard for the rare coin industry. How many 1943 copper pennies exist and how many have been. The truth about 1943 steel and bronze copper wheat penny values. 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. Twelve of these pennies exist and a few of them are still in circulation, so it is worth keeping. Copper was completely eliminated from the denominations composition, in favor of a oneyearonly type featuring a zincplated steel composition. If it looks more like a common brownish penny, it may be one of the rare copper 1943 pennies. A small number of copper planchets were left over from 1942 and were used in 1943 during the transition to steel planchets. Copper was in high demand for the war so the composition was changed. What is the value of a 1943 copper usa penny answers. My dad gave me his penny collection from when he was a kid.
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. Jan 10, 2018 the top left image shows the common 1943 penny made of zinc and steel. Jul 18, 2007 my dad gave me his penny collection from when he was a kid. A mintcondition, untouched penny could be worth a great deal more to the right buyer. I dont ever recall really looking for 1943 copper cents in all the rolls i searched. I have a 1943 copper penny that my grandparents came across when they were young. The copper 1943 s issue is quite rarer, with only 6 examples known, all slightly circulated. Simpson bought a bronze 1943 lincoln penny that was supposed to be made of steel. An alternative story is presented for your consideration. Another scenario of how the 1943 copper penny came to be.
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. Apr 27, 2017 if you do happen upon a 1943 penny, dont quit your job or book a lavish vacation right away. The 1943 copper cents are so rare they are a popular target of counterfeiters and other scam artists. Heres a rundown of the various types of 1943 wheat pennies and their values 1943 steel penny 684,628,670 minted. Favorite methods of faking the 1943 copper cent include. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. May 16, 2011 in the mid 70s i read an ad or short article about the 1943 copper penny. Convince your friends you found one of the extremely rare and incredibly valuable 1943 copper pennies. Why are 1943 copper and 1944 steel lincoln cent errors so. Rare pennies you should hold onto including the 1943 penny. Fortunately, there are very easy tests to determine if your 1943 copper penny is genuine. Unfollow penny 1943 copper to stop getting updates on your ebay feed.
If it is a silvery gray color, it is probably a steel penny. The 1943 copper penny can be worth a million dollars as an extremely rare and sought after collectible coin. Rare 1943 copper coin fetches a pretty penny in auction. If your 1943 penny does not stick to the magnet, it may be a rare 1943 copper penny. Here is a ball blue book of canning and preserving for 1943. Others are fraud attempts, where someone has taken a genuine 1948 copper penny and cut the 8. Lincoln cents 1943 copper all are rare wont stick to a magnet 1943 1943. For its age, it is in good condition, but you need to know.
Used a marker with a line around the center of the ball for them to follow. In 1909, the lincoln penny entered circulation, according to american web media. An original 1943 steel penny is not considered a rare u. Unfortunately, there are plenty of fake 1943 copper cents floating around. Have a 1943 copper penny that does not stick to a magnet. Ahead of the auction, experts said the penny could have fetched more than a million dollars. If you had a picture it would be helpful but it probably looks different then others. Mints coining machines were set up for new penny production in 1943, some copper blanks from the previous years production were not cleaned out. We looked it up to make sure it was real, by the way the 3 looks in the 1943. I have done my research into this coin and can say that this is an authentic 1943 copper penny there is one downfall to the coin, my granddad in disbelief took a knife to see the hardness of the coin and cut a fine line into it.
The winning bidder was tom caldwell of concord, massachusetts. In 1944, the need for copper was reduced, and the production of the copper cent resumed. Jan, 2016 1943 d copper penny discussion in coin chat started by allen pledger, jan, 2016. Genuine 1943 copper cents are rare and hard to find, and they can be quite valuable. Nearly all pennies from 1943 are supposed to be steel cents.
Geesh i guess you all have a bunch of 1943 pennies in your possession. Some were intended to be novelty items, and are just steel pennies dipped, or plated, in copper. Copper penny pieces from 1943 is worth thousands of dollars. There are many stories of how the 1943 copper penny came into existance. According to the heritage auction site, only 10 1943 copper cents have been traced, along with a single dmint example and six smint coins. Just as the jefferson nickel fivecent coin saw the removal of nickel from its composition in 1942 to preserve the metal for artillery production, so, too, did lincoln wheat penny coins in 1943. All 1943 pennies are worth more than their face value, but how much more is the question a lot of folks want to know the answer to. The value of a true 1943 copper canadian penny is worth a lot more than you will probably imagine. The front and back covers show wear at the top, bottom and side edges from use and storage.
The penny was dated 1943 s, but it was composed of copper, rather than the expected zinccoated steel. Jul 30, 2009 it was decided to change the content from copper to steel coated with zinc for the first run of the new 1943 cents. 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. 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. Join thousands of satisfied visitors who discovered 1944 penny, selling silver coin collection and silver coin sellers. While the 1943 steel pennies are worth a few bucks, the rare copper version is worth more. A 1943 steel penny is the only regularissued coin that can be picked up by a magnet. What follows are a number of rare pennies you should hold onto if you ever come. One of the rarest and most intriguing us coins is the 1943d bronzecopper lincoln wheat cent.
A penny from 1943 minted that year was made out of steel with a zinc coating. The bottom left image is a 1948 wheat cent that has had the 8 in 1948 altered to look like a 3. This item 1943 copper plated real us steel penny numismatic coin. This was because copper was heavily needed for war materials during world war ii. And the bottom right image is the rare and authentic 1943 bronze wheat penny. We went through all the pennies, and some of them date back to 1903. A 1948 copper penny can be filed down on the left side of the 8, making it look like a 3 instead. They wanted to put one tail on a ball of all heads so their parents could search for it. According to the american numismatic association, the 1943 copper alloy cent is one of the most idealized and potentially one of the most soughtafter items in american numismatics.
Anyways i think it is real so i am gonna go to my local coin dealer and let them inspect for themself. The easiest way to determine if a 1943 cent is made of steel, and not copper, is to use a magnet. The 1943 penny was pressed amid world war ii, when copper was an integral component in making wartime necessities like phone wire and bullet casings. That sure is a lot of money for an old penny, right. As wings son tells it today, wing was 14 years old in 1944 when he made his rare penny find. In 1943, there was a shortage in copper that was normally used to make lincoln cents, so instead of copper, the u. We take pride in providing the most accurate coin values and stats online. When the 1943s copper cent finally came to light in 2008, the finders heirs also provided a file of correspondence related to the coin.
These are extremely rare compared to a steel version you might have. Believe it or not, some are worth much more than that. It was nothing more then high school age boys entertaining themselves in the workplace. The number 1 way counterfeiters used for the 1943 bronze cents is through altering the final digit usually an 8 on an 1948 cent. Mint used 95 percent copper to create pennies except for one year during world war ii. I think i might have a 1943 copper penny did the magnet test the 3 looks the same as compared to images ive searched online is there any other 1943 copper penny for already registered members.
If youre still in two minds about 1943 copper penny and are thinking about choosing a similar product, aliexpress is a great place to compare prices and sellers. I am looking for any and all opinions on the authenticity of this 1943 d copper penny. The rarest example is the denver mint issue of which only one is known. The 1943 copper cent was produced at all three mints. This is not the first time a penny sold for way more than its face value. According to the experts at cointrackers, a rare 1943 coin made from copper wheat is selling for. It was decided to change the content from copper to steel coated with zinc for the first run of the new 1943 cents. Hi, tammy there was no silver, or steel, penny made in 1942. Ammunition required so much copper, the us mint had to find an alternative. 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. The 1943 copper cent has been counterfeited by coating steel cents with copper or by altering the dates of 1945, 1948, and 1949 pennies. Additionally, watch out for fake 1942 copper pennies that are actually just copper plated steel pennies of that same year. Over one billion 1943 steel cents were produced at the philadelphia, denver, and san francisco mints, making this a very common coin.
The easiest way to determine if a 1943 cent is made of. The unique composition of the coin lowgrade steel coated with zinc, instead of the previously 95% copper based bronze composition has led to. One of the rarest and most intriguing us coins is the 1943 s bronze copper lincoln wheat cent. In reference to your letter of august 11th, there were no copper cents struck. Among the experts wing had received replies from, there was a response from the u. The top right image shows a common steel cent that someone has coated to make it appear bronze. It has been redesigned several times since then, and before 1982 the u. It is also the only coin not containing copper to be circulated. If u make the hole in the tube of goop small u can have them hold the penny, goop it right from the tube, and have them place it.
May 18, 20 much has been published about copper 1943 pennies being worth in excess of a million dollars. The philadelphia, denver, and san francisco mints each produced these 1943 lincoln cents. As with many items of high value, there are a lot of fakes floating around, notes fox news. Excepting that unique 1943d copper cent, a bidder in the upcoming fun auction could compete to assemble a set of five of the six major world war ii penny errors. This page also shows coins listed for sale so you can buy and sell. If your 1943 penny sticks to the magnet, it is a common steel cent and not worth the big bucks. Well help you to work out whether its worth paying extra for a highend version or whether youre getting just as good a deal by getting the cheaper item.
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