Latest headlines world news you mag event books mail shop property. Likely the first 1943 copper penny discovered was noted among a handful of pocket change around 1947. How to cash in your pennies for more than a cent moneyning. Nearly all circulating pennies at that time were struck in zinccoated steel because copper and nickel were needed for the allied war effort. Any genuine 1943 copper pennies are extremely rare mint errors. 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. Laura explains that he is not a penny collector in general. 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. Ahead of the auction, experts said the penny could have fetched more than a million dollars. 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. 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. Set new fantasyland disney elongated pressed penny. The easiest way to determine if a 1943 cent is made of steel, and not copper, is to use a magnet.
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. Its delightful and amazing there are still examples of great numismatic rarities to be discovered and reported to the hobby. Geesh i guess you all have a bunch of 1943 pennies in your possession. Discussion in coin chat started by khmer, jun 12, 2010. Latest headlines world news you mag event books mail shop. The philadelphia, denver, and san francisco mints each produced these 1943 lincoln cents.
It is probable that you actually have one of the thousands of fakes produced since the first time a copper 1943 was included in a red book and the unscrupulous community saw an. 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. Its nice that this book was not written 10 or 20 later by a historian but by a woman who encountered this evil just a year or two prior. 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. There are many stories of how the 1943 copper penny came into existance. Contursi said his recentlyacquired 1943 bronze lincoln cent is quite special for him. Fortunately, there are very easy tests to determine if your 1943 copper penny is genuine. To preserve it, pennies in 1943 were made of zinccoated steel but a small number of blanks made primarily of copper were caught in mint presses and accidentally circulated.
This is a 1943 canada 1 cent copper coin in average circulated condition. In 1943 the penny was made out of zinc plated steel to save copper for. Nearly all circulating pennies at that time were struck in zinccoated steel because copper. How many 1943 copperhead pennies are in circulation and. Over one billion 1943 steel cents were produced at the philadelphia, denver, and san francisco mints, making this a very common coin. A rare copper penny that a pittsfield man found among his lunch money. Unfollow 1943 copper penny to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Bressett, editor of whitmans red book, witnessed the excitement firsthand as a young collector. As soon as i have the time to figure out how to start a new thread im gonna.
Rare penny found in school cafeteria up for auction. The original elongated souvenir penny book with the coin on the cover. 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. How do i know, i have researched this subject starting in 1994, and have written books on this series which included a detailed study on this subject, and also have seen counterfeit 1943 cents. The 1943 copper cent was produced at all three mints. If you had a picture it would be helpful but it probably looks different then others. Calcutta many australian coins were struck in india and the united states of america during world war ii. Jul 18, 2007 my dad gave me his penny collection from when he was a kid. Anyways i think it is real so i am gonna go to my local coin dealer and let them inspect for themself.
In 1943 copper penny production stopped to save the metal for wartime. What follows are a number of rare pennies you should hold onto if you ever come. If it is a silvery gray color, it is probably a steel penny. 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 penny was dated 1943 s, but it was composed of copper, rather than the expected zinccoated steel. The philadelphia, denver, and san francisco mints each. One of the rarest and most intriguing us coins is the 1943 s bronze copper lincoln wheat cent. The coin in the picture is only a sample of what you will receive.
The value of a true 1943 copper canadian penny is worth a lot more than you will probably imagine. 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. Unsearched wheat penny shot gun roll w indian head cent ends old us coin shotgun lot. According to the heritage auction site, only 10 1943 copper cents have been traced, along with a single dmint example and six smint coins. There was another discovery later that year which gained quite a bit of notoriety. If you do happen upon a 1943 penny, dont quit your job or book.
Follow me into the vast history of the 1943 copper pennies. Rare penny army veteran found in his lunch money in 1947 sells for. Ngc certifies previously unaccounted 1943s bronze cent. Copper was in high demand for the war so the composition was changed. The letter i below the kings head and the dots before and after penny on the reverse show that this coin was struck at the calcutta mint.
Copper penny pieces from 1943 is worth thousands of dollars. Rare pennies you should hold onto including the 1943 penny. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and. Additionally, watch out for fake 1942 copper pennies that are actually just copper plated steel pennies of that same year. The mints cleared out all the old copper cent unstruck coins out of the big bins that fed the minting machines.
Lincoln steel cent full roll of 1943 circulated steel pennies by us mint 50 wheat pennies unsearched shotgun roll mixed years circulated good or better. The bigticket coins were minted in 1943 and with copper. It was nothing more then high school age boys entertaining themselves in the workplace. When it comes to rare pennies, the 1943 copper penny is one of the rarest. Critical goods were ration to american citizens using coupon books. Yes all but the first 12 minted which were minted from the copper already in the machine. 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.
While the 1943 steel pennies are worth a few bucks, the rare copper version is worth more. The rarest example is the denver mint issue of which only one is known. Another scenario of how the 1943 copper penny came to be. A mintcondition, untouched penny could be worth a great deal more to the right buyer. We looked it up to make sure it was real, by the way the 3 looks in the 1943. 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 ways to find out if this coin that i possess is legit. S pennies non copper posted on november 22, 2012 by admin in the year 1943, usa decided to stop the production of copper pennies because they needed copper at that time due to the materials needed for the war. Rare 1943 copper penny worth a million dollars check your pocket change for valuable coins duration. So far, i havent heard of anyone being arrested for having one of these penny presser available to the public. Paris underground by etta shiber 1943 first edition. 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. An alternative story is presented for your consideration. There are only about 40 of these out there that are actually know of.
I think i have 1943 copper wheat penny anyone have any info on determining what i have. Rare 1943 copper coin fetches a pretty penny in auction cnn style. I have a 1943 copper penny that my grandparents came across when they were young. Another scenario of how the 1943 copper penny came to be coin collecting at bellaonline. Its a choice mint state example and is encapsulated in an ngc64bn holder.
Rare ww2era copper wheat pennies known as a wheat cent are. In 1944, the need for copper was reduced, and the production of the copper cent resumed. The winning bidder was tom caldwell of concord, massachusetts. Australia penny 1943 i below kings head and dot before and after the word penny mint. Over the years, the 1943 bronze cent has generated all sorts of schemes, scams, and media hype. 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. I dont want to clean the 1943 copper penny cause i heard if you clean it, it is no longer an antique. The copper 1943 s issue is quite rarer, with only 6 examples known, all slightly circulated. New listing 1861 battle of carthage elongated penny pressed smashed collectible 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. A single penny, a piece of collection of several thousand dollars. Paris underground by etta shiber 1943 first edition shiber, etta, dupre, anne, dupre, paul on.
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. Canada 1943 1 cent copper one canadian penny nice coin ebay. In 1943 there was a critical shortage of copper due to ww2, so the government began to issue 1943 coins made of zinc coated steel. Wings son had never even seen the coin until it was found in a safety deposit box after wings death in 1996. As wings son tells it today, wing was 14 years old in 1944 when he made his rare penny find. Chrissy teigen and john legend dress up in parisianinspired.
Join thousands of satisfied visitors who discovered 1944 penny, selling silver coin collection and silver coin sellers. At one time genuine 1943 steel pennies were copper plated and sold as novelty items at coin shows and flea markets. Nearly all pennies from 1943 are supposed to be steel cents. 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. And last copper went up high enough to make a hundred pennies worth well over a dollar, there was a penny shortage because so many people did recycle them. Jan, 2016 i do believe there is more than one design that would be acceptable to even the coin gradeing companys. How many 1943 copper pennies exist and how many have been. Learn to tell the genuine 1943 copper penny from the fake 1943 copper penny. You can look up some auction sale prices, but they do no.
We went through all the pennies, and some of them date back to 1903. Inspire a love of reading with prime book box for kids discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1. Click on any of the boxes to see much larger images. In 1943, there was a shortage in copper that was normally used to make lincoln cents, so instead of copper, the u.
A 1948 copper penny can be filed down on the left side of the 8, making it look like a 3 instead. A copper penny 1943 with two strike dates 1942 and 1943. I would imagine a copper 1943 cent would look different then others. 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. Other ads promoted copper plated zinc cents for prices such as 69 cents to fool your friends, as one advertisement stated. My dad gave me his penny collection from when he was a kid. Wheat pennies were briefly made of steel in 1943, but a few mostly. If it looks more like a common brownish penny, it may be one of the rare copper 1943 pennies. The most notable and probably the most talked about coin in the history of collecting is the 1943 copper penny. Some were intended to be novelty items, and are just steel pennies dipped, or plated, in copper. This is the first 1943 copper penny ive ever owned. I never heard of anyone getting in trouble for that, either.