The 1943 Copper Penny: Why Yours Probably Isn’t Real
If you’re holding what you think is a 1943 copper penny, take a deep breath… and maybe don’t quit your job just yet.
This coin has become one of the most famous rarities in U.S. coin collecting, with a handful selling for over $100,000. That kind of number gets people excited and it gets coins misidentified. A lot. If you’ve found a brownish 1943 penny and you’re dreaming of early retirement, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, you’re also probably wrong.
This post will walk you through what the 1943 copper penny actually is, why it’s rare, and how to figure out if the one in your hand is worth a fortune or just a good conversation piece.
What Makes the 1943 Copper Penny So Valuable?
In 1943, the U.S. Mint switched from copper to zinc-coated steel for pennies. Copper was needed for World War II supplies, so almost all 1943 cents were made of steel. But a few copper planchets (blanks left over from 1942) somehow made it into the presses and were struck by mistake.
Only a handful of these copper 1943 pennies exist, and they were never meant to. That’s what gives them their value. It’s not just the date that matters, it’s the metal. If your penny is 1943 and made of copper, it’s an error coin that shouldn’t exist, and that’s what collectors go wild for.
Most of the confirmed genuine examples have come from the Philadelphia Mint, with just a few from Denver and San Francisco. These are coins that make national news when they sell. They’re not sitting in a spare change jar.
Even if a few real 1943 copper cents slipped into circulation 80 years ago, the odds of finding one today are basically zero. These coins are well known, well documented, and worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. If one somehow made it into your pocket, it would’ve been pulled out decades ago by a collector, a dealer, or literally anyone with eyesight. At this point, you’re more likely to get struck by lightning while holding a winning lottery ticket than to casually stumble across one in your change.
How to Tell if Your 1943 “Copper” Penny Is Fake
Most people who think they found a 1943 copper cent are actually holding a steel cent that’s rusted brown or a regular copper cent with a modified date. Fakes usually fall into one of these two camps:
- Altered Date: The most common trick is taking a 1948 copper penny and shaving the left side of the 8 to make it look like a 3. It’s sloppy once you know what to look for, but it can fool people at a glance.
- Plated Steel: Some steel cents have been coated in copper to fool casual observers. These will still stick to a magnet and weigh less than the real thing.
A real 1943 copper cent won’t stick to a magnet and should weigh around 3.11 grams. But don’t get too excited, just because your coin is non-magnetic and weighs correctly doesn’t mean it’s authentic. There are very convincing fakes out there, including coins struck using genuine dies on altered planchets. Those can fool even experienced collectors. The one that I have fooled me for a minute until I got it under the scope to see the modification.
If you’re still convinced yours is real, stop what you’re doing and get it authenticated. Don’t try to clean it. Don’t try to sell it raw. And definitely don’t post it to Facebook with “Is this real??” as the caption.
Final Thoughts
Finding a 1943 copper penny in your pocket change would be like hitting the numismatic lottery, but let’s be honest, that’s not what just happened. If you’re holding one, there’s a 99.9999% chance it’s either a steel cent that’s changed color, a modern fake, or a regular coin with a messed-up date.
It’s still cool. It’s still worth looking into. But don’t quit your job, don’t cash in your retirement plan, and definitely don’t pay someone to slab it without doing your homework first.
Real examples are rare, well-documented, and almost never just sitting in a pile of pennies. Still, every collector needs to chase a wild goose now and then. That’s half the fun.