Pick up a penny if you see one; it could bring you luck for life.
These unique pennies aren’t magnets like other one-cent coins, but if you happen to have one of the 40 or so that are thought to exist, it could fetch a lot of money at auction.
Read on to find out more about these pennies!
For the 1943 war, copper and nickel were in short supply, so most pennies were made from steel that had been zinc-coated.
There was one very important mistake, though: some pennies were made with copper instead of nickel. These coins are now very valuable.
The US Mint says that there are currently only about 40 copper–alloy cents in circulation. Because they are so rare, buyers pay a lot of money for them.
The treasure from 1943 “is one of the most idealized and possibly one of the most sought–after items in American numismatics.”
One even sold for more than $40,000 in 1958, and someone was lucky enough to win $1.7 million at auction in 2010.
Have you got a rare penny?
Here are some important signs that will help you tell if you have the rare copper 1943 penny before you break your piggy banks and start looking for one.
Look at the Content
Steel Penny: Most pennies made in 1943 were made of steel that had been zinc-coated. These will look like silver and may have turned dark or rusted over time.
Copper Penny: If your 1943 penny is reddish-brown like a normal copper penny, you may have one of the rare mistake coins. Unlike most pennies from that year, which were made of steel, these are made of copper.
Pick up a magnet.
Have a magnet handy and hold it up to your 1943 penny to see if it’s magnetic. The coin is made of steel if it sticks to the magnet.
Copper pennies don’t stick to magnets. If your 1943 penny doesn’t stick to a magnet, it might be copper, but also check for fakes (more on that below).
Look for Signs of Plates
Watch Out for Changed Coins: Some steel 1943 pennies have copper added to them to trick coin collectors. The metal on these isn’t even, and it can wear off in some places, showing the steel underneath.
Try to find authenticity.
Date and Mint Mark: The penny has the year “1943” written on it. These coins also have mint marks. Denver coins have a mark, San Francisco coins have an S, and Philadelphia coins don’t have a mark.
Grading by professionals: A professional coin grade service is the only way to be sure that your penny is a real 1943 copper penny. This is because some fakes look very much like the real thing.
If you have a 1943 penny that isn’t magnetic and looks like copper, it might be a rare and valuable find, but you need to have it checked out by a professional!
If you have one of these lucky pennies, please let us know! Also, tell your friends about this story so they can learn how to spot a penny that could be worth a mil.
