1943 steel penny value and copper myth
The ordinary 1943 cent is zinc-coated steel from Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco. The rare coin is the bronze 1943, and a steel 1944 is the other wrong-planchet error.
Pull a 1943 cent and try a magnet before you plan a celebration. The ordinary coin of that year is zinc-coated steel. The Lincoln Wheat cent page treats 1943 as a composition change, and the wheat cents note is the reverse sort: two ears, 1909 through 1958. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark. D is Denver. S is San Francisco. The letter sits under the date.
The steel cent is the common one
The mintage chart on the Wheat page is Bureau of the Mint manufacture figures. The 1943 rows are the steel cents.
1943. The chart lists 684,628,670.
1943-D. The chart lists 217,660,000.
1943-S. The chart lists 191,550,000.
The ANA's 1943 cent video describes that combined steel production as over a billion coins, and it calls the steel cent common. A worn example is the ordinary wartime cent. A shop prices the coin in hand.
The series page lists 2.70 grams for the 1943 steel cent and 3.11 grams for the usual bronze Wheat cent. NGC's note on 1944 cents uses those same two weights for a steel planchet and a mostly copper planchet. The video describes the steel cent as silver-looking. Steel cents also rust. The Wheat page says a re-plated or rusted steel cent is still a damaged coin.
The copper 1943, and the steel 1944
The rare coin is the bronze 1943. People call it a copper penny. NGC's note on a certified 1943 copper cent says the cents that year were supposed to be zinc-coated steel so copper could be saved for the war, and that a few were struck in copper anyway. NGC says the composition is technically bronze, and that examples are known from Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Denver.
The Wheat page calls that coin a wrong-planchet error: a 1943 cent struck on leftover bronze. It also names a 1943-D bronze on the errors list, beside the Philadelphia coin. The ANA museum exhibit on 1943 and 1944 cents says leftover planchets from 1942 were mixed in with the steel planchets for 1943.
The other error on the Wheat page is a 1944 cent struck on leftover steel. NGC says that when the Mint went back to mostly copper planchets in 1944, a very small number of cents were struck on zinc-coated steel planchets that had lodged in the totes. NGC reports those steel 1944 cents with a D, an S, or no mint mark, and it says Philadelphia examples are the ones seen more often because that facility was also striking Belgian coins on steel planchets. The chart's 1944 figures are the bronze cents of that year. The Wheat page also names a 1944-S steel cent on that errors list.
The magnet, then the date
The ANA video is the check you can do at the kitchen table. A steel cent sticks to a magnet. A copper cent does not. If your 1943 sticks, you have the steel coin, including one that someone copper-plated later. The museum exhibit says companies plated genuine steel cents and sold them as novelty copper cents. The plating sits on top. The magnet still sticks.
If the cent does not stick, pause there. The same video says a common alteration is a 1948 cent with the last digit changed so the date reads 1943. A copper cent from another year will not stick either. NGC's counterfeit detection page says an altered date starts as a genuine coin, and a tool reworks the date. The tool marks sit around the digit that was changed. NGC leaves an altered date uncertified.
The Reading Room note on the 1943 bronze cent says to inspect the date, because one of the last digits may have been altered so the coin looks like a 1943. It also says a fake can weigh 3.11 grams and still be the wrong metal: pure copper, rather than the bronze alloy of 95 percent copper with tin and zinc on the Wheat page. Weight is the second clue. The series page's 2.70 grams points at steel. The 3.11 gram figure is the usual bronze cent. A scale and a magnet are the start. Authentication is the next step.
A dealer, then PCGS or NGC
The ANA video's next step, after a dealer looks at the date under a lens, is a third-party grading company. That company authenticates the coin and seals it. On this site the two holders to ask about are PCGS and NGC. The walk-through for the fee, the shipping, and which holder to ask about is should I get my coin graded. A slab is that opinion in a holder. NGC's copper-cent note is one certified example of the coin people hope they found.
Leave the surface alone before anyone ships it. A rub or a soak is the subject of should you clean old coins. The longer date list, with this steel year beside the 1909-S V.D.B. and the 1955 doubled die, is rare pennies to look for.
Take the coin to a shop or a show
When you want a person to look, take the cent the way it is. The coin dealer directory lists public shops, including Ohio coin dealers. A coin show puts several tables in one afternoon. A local dealer will make you an offer.
People Also Ask
Are 1943 steel pennies rare?
The Wheat cent chart lists 684,628,670 for Philadelphia, 217,660,000 for Denver, and 191,550,000 for San Francisco. The [ANA 1943 cent video](https://www.money.org/1943-cent-video/) calls that steel production common. A worn steel cent is the ordinary coin of the year. A shop prices the one in your hand. Browse coin dealers.
Why does a 1943 penny stick to a magnet?
The ordinary 1943 cent is zinc-coated steel, and steel sticks to a magnet. A copper cent does not. The [ANA video](https://www.money.org/1943-cent-video/) shows that check. If the cent sticks, it is the steel coin, including a steel cent that was copper-plated later.
What is the rare 1943 penny?
The bronze cent, the one people call a copper 1943. [NGC](https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/7207/1943-bronze-cent/) says a few were struck in copper by mistake, and that the composition is technically bronze. The Wheat cent page calls it a wrong-planchet coin. A steel 1944 is the other error on that page.
Why do copper-colored 1943 pennies so often disappoint?
A plated steel cent still sticks to a magnet. A 1948 cent with the last digit changed so it reads 1943 will not stick, and the date can show tool marks. The [ANA video](https://www.money.org/1943-cent-video/) names that 1948 alteration. [NGC](https://www.ngccoin.com/resources/counterfeit-detection/) says an altered date stays uncertified.
Should I send a copper 1943 to PCGS or NGC?
Send it after the magnet and a look at the date. The [ANA video](https://www.money.org/1943-cent-video/) points a real candidate to a third-party grading company. The walk-through is should I get my coin graded. A coin dealer or a coin show can look before you ship.
Where do I take a 1943 cent?
To a shop or a show, the way it is. Browse coin dealers, including Ohio coin dealers, or see upcoming coin shows. A local dealer will make you an offer.