1943 steel penny no mint mark worth1/16/2024 The obverse of the 1943 steel penny bears the portrait of President Abraham Lincoln. In 1944, pennies were instead made from salvaged brass shell casings augmented with copper.Ī lso read: 12 Most Valuable Lincoln Penny Worth Money Features of the 1943 steel penny Obverse of the 1943 steel penny When the coins came into contact with moisture, the edges quickly began to corrode.Īnd their silver color meant the pennies were often mistaken for dimes.Īll this meant that, after the first year, the steel penny experiment wasn’t repeated. The edges of the coins weren’t galvanized either, which gave rise to more problems. But authentic 1943 steel pennies were magnetic too, so they kept being spat out by the machines. Vending machines had magnets that rejected fake copper coins with steel slugs. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the steel pennies. But the design on both sides remained the same as for every other mintage. Replacing copper cents with steel ones was an obvious way of preserving copper stocks. Copper was used extensively in the manufacture of munitions, including shell casings, tanks and even airplanes. They get their color from their zinc coating, but their core is made of steel.īy 1943, the Second World War was putting pressure on copper supplies. But 1943 pennies are silver-toned, and are known as “steel pennies”. Most Lincoln pennies are made of copper, giving them a red or brown color. They get their name from the image on their obverse, a portrait of President Abraham Lincoln. The steel penny minted in 1943 is part of the series known as Lincoln cents or pennies. Ready to get started? Step this way! 1943 Steel Penny Value Chart And along the way, we’ll find out more about the design and key features of this interesting coin. That’s what we’re here to find out! We’re going to explore the 1943 steel penny value and the factors that determine it. But the pennies issued in 1943 were made of steel instead. We’re used to seeing cents made of copper. 1943 (P) no Mint Mark steel penny value. She is also the co-author of "The Geek Gap" and vice president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. Minda Zetlin is a freelance writer covering business, money, tech and collectibles. You never know, one of your pennies could be worth the price of a nice dinner - or a whole lot more. With so many rare coins out there, being a "penny pincher" might not be such a bad thing after all. Additionally, they can help get your coin certified by a grading service and guide you through the entire selling process. Some auction houses offer free evaluations. If you think you've found a valuable penny, Stone suggests consulting a professional. If you think you've found a 1943 Bronze Lincoln, the Mint suggests testing it with a magnet first. Heritage auctioned a similar one - in slightly lower grade - for $186,000 earlier this month," he said.ĭue to its value, some counterfeits were created with steel cores. "A nice circulated example, like Lutes' coin, could sell for around $150,000 to $200,000. Stone estimates that 15 to 20 are known to collectors today, although it's possible that there are a few that have not yet been accounted for. Today, the 1943 bronze Lincoln cent is described as "the most famous error coin in American numismatics" - and the odds of finding one are astronomically against. "The few bronze coins that were struck went unnoticed and got released into circulation." At least, that's what was supposed to happen.Īs fate would have it, "some of the old bronze planchets got stuck in the big tote bins that the Mint used to feed the coin presses at the end of 1942," he said. Mint switched to making pennies from zinc-coated steel planchets, instead of the usual bronze coin blanks, Stone explained. In order to preserve copper for the war effort, the U.S. "The most valuable Lincoln cent sold privately in 2010 for $1.7 million," said Stone. Only a handful of these bronze pennies have been discovered, including the one found by Lutes.
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