Value of a 1943 Steel Penny They are worth about 10 to 13 cents each in circulated condition, and as much as 50 cents or more if uncirculated.
What is the error on a 1943 steel penny?
The Rare 1943 Penny The reason is that the 1943 copper penny is an error coin. The United States Mint accidentally used the wrong kind of planchet metal when striking the coin.
What is the value of a 1943 steel penny?
Because they are quite common, a 1943 penny in circulated condition is not worth much. According to USA Coin Book, a steel penny from 1943 in circulated condition is worth between 16 cents and 53 cents. However, Heritage Auctions sells 1943 steel pennies in pristine, uncirculated condition for more than $1,000.
Are all the 1943 copper pennies accounted for?
Finding a 1943 Copper Penny: Luck or Skill? Copper pennies dated 1943 are not supposed to exist. They are supposed to be made out of zinc-plated steel. However, some of these pennies do exist and it’s a matter of sheer luck if you find one in pocket change.
How can you tell if a 1943 Penny is copper or steel?
If it is a silvery gray color, it is probably a steel penny. If it looks more like a common brownish penny, it may be one of the rare copper 1943 pennies. Pass a magnet over the coin. If the penny is attracted to the magnet, it is a steel cent, not copper. Weigh the coin.
Why are the planchets of the 1943 Penny rusting?
As the zinc coating wore off the steel core the exposed steel underneath began to rust. The manufacturing process for producing the planchets was also flawed. Mint workers first rolled a sheet of steel to the proper thickness. Next, the steel sheet was plated with zinc and passed through a blanking press.
How many wheat pennies were in circulation in 1943?
However, it is assumed that by mistake, some coin blanks left over from the previous year entered the press in the three mints. For these 1943 Wheat Pennies, of which about 25 are known in total, and many of them in circulation, hundreds of thousands of dollars can be forked out, including more than a million for the best-preserved ones.
How much is a 1944 Lincoln Steel Penny Worth?
In the year 1944 something very similar happened but in reverse. Some steel dies from the previous year’s Lincoln Steel Penny were used to manufacture 1944 copies in steel. A copy of the 1944 Lincoln Steel Penny MS64 was auctioned off in 2013 for a price of $158,625.