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Lincoln cent · 1943 · wrong-metal error

1943 Copper Penny: What It’s Worth and How to Test Yours

A real 1943 copper penny is worth six figures even when worn: recent sales run from $186,000 (XF45) to $456,000 (a 1943-S in AU55, March 2026). The only 1943-D sold for $840,000 at auction. Start with a magnet: almost every 1943 penny is steel and sticks to it. A copper one doesn’t.

Updated October 22, 2026 · 10 sources

Scan your coin with AnyCoinsFree on iPhone · first 3 appraisals on us
A 1943 Lincoln cent struck in bronze, copper-colored instead of steel gray
1943 cent struck on a bronze blank · Photo: PCGS
Year and mints
1943: Philadelphia (no mark), Denver (D), San Francisco (S)
What’s different
Struck on a leftover bronze blank instead of steel
Known today
About 20 to 25 confirmed: 17 P, 7 S, 1 D in the newest census
Magnet test
Copper: no pull · normal 1943 steel: sticks
Weight
Bronze about 3.11 g · steel about 2.70 g
Official mintage
None: every one is a mistake

What it’s worth

Every 1943 copper cent is a major rarity, so even worn ones sell for six figures. These are real auction results including the buyer’s premium.

ConditionPriceSale
XF45, light wear · Philadelphia (PCGS)$186,000Heritage, July 2019 · source
AU53, lightly worn · Philadelphia (NGC)$204,000Heritage, January 2019 · source
AU55, lightly worn · Philadelphia (PCGS, CAC)$264,000Heritage, January 2025 · source
AU55, lightly worn · Philadelphia (PCGS)$312,000Heritage, May 2025 · source
AU55, lightly worn · San Francisco (PCGS, CAC Gold)$456,000Stack’s Bowers, March 10, 2026 · source
MS63 Brown, uncirculated · San Francisco (PCGS, CAC)$504,000Heritage, November 2020 · source
$840,000The auction record: the only 1943-D, PCGS MS64 Brown, Heritage, January 2021. The same coin sold privately for $1.7 million in 2010. · source

Private sales have gone higher still: the finest known Philadelphia coin (PCGS MS63 Red) sold for over $1 million in 2018.

How to tell if you have one

  1. Read the date and look under it: no letter is Philadelphia, D is Denver, S is San Francisco.
  2. Hold a magnet to it. The US Mint calls this the easiest test: if it sticks, it’s steel, not copper. That rules out almost every 1943 penny, including copper-plated steel fakes.
  3. If it doesn’t stick, weigh it. Bronze cents weigh about 3.11 g and steel ones about 2.70 g. The right weight alone doesn’t prove it’s real.
  4. Look at the last digit of the date under a magnifier. The most common fake is a 1945, 1948 or 1949 penny with the last digit cut into a 3. Compare its shape with the 3 on a normal 1943 steel penny.
  5. Anything non-magnetic that passes these checks still needs expert authentication. Send it to PCGS or NGC before you do anything else.
1943 cent struck in bronze
1943 in copper. Brown or copper-colored, not magnetic. Photo: PCGS
A normal 1943 zinc-coated steel cent
A normal 1943 steel cent. Silver-gray and magnetic. Photo: PCGS

Coins that fool people

Copper-plated steel cent

Looks copper, but sticks strongly to a magnet. Plated 1943 cents are a common novelty.

A 1945, 1948 or 1949 with the date changed

Not magnetic and the right weight, because it really is bronze. Only the last digit gives it away: look for tool marks and a 3 that doesn’t match a real 1943.

A rusty or toned steel cent

Rust or dirt can make a steel cent look brown, but it still sticks to the magnet.

The 1944 steel cent

The opposite mistake: a 1944 struck on a leftover steel blank. Magnetic, also rare and valuable, but a different coin.

The story

In 1943 the Mint made pennies out of zinc-coated steel because copper was needed for World War II.

A few bronze blanks left over from 1942 were still in the machines and got struck with 1943 dies. That’s the widely accepted explanation, though some researchers think a few were made on purpose.

A 14-year-old found one in change in California in 1944, and a 16-year-old got one in his school cafeteria change in Massachusetts in 1947. The Mint at first denied such coins existed. The cafeteria coin sold for $204,000 in 2019.

The rumor that Ford would give a new car for one was never true. The only 1943-D bronze cent sold privately for $1.7 million in 2010, with the proceeds going to charity.

Copper-colored 1943 penny? Check it now.

Almost every copper-looking 1943 penny is plated or altered, but a real one is worth hundreds of thousands. Scan it with AnyCoins, then try the magnet.

  1. Open AnyCoins and photograph the heads side, then the tails side, in good light.
  2. AnyCoins identifies the coin and checks it for known errors and varieties.
  3. You see its condition estimate, a price range by condition and what the same coin has sold for.
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Why collectors use AnyCoins

  • Photograph both sides and it names the coin: country, year, mint and denomination.
  • Values from real sales: a price range by condition and recent sales of the same coin, not a guess.
  • A condition estimate from your photos, so you know which row of the price table you’re in.
  • Checks the coin for known errors and varieties, the kind that turn a cent into thousands.
  • Melt value for silver and gold, and the mint that struck it on the Mint Map.

Questions people ask

How much is a 1943 copper penny worth?

Real ones sell for six figures in any condition: $186,000 for an XF45 (Heritage, 2019), $264,000 to $312,000 for AU55 (Heritage, 2025), $456,000 for a 1943-S AU55 (Stack’s Bowers, 2026), and $840,000 for the only 1943-D (Heritage, 2021).

How many 1943 copper pennies are there?

About 20 to 25 are confirmed. The newest census counts 17 from Philadelphia, 7 from San Francisco and 1 from Denver. The US Mint has said about 40 copper-alloy 1943 cents exist.

How do I know if my 1943 penny is copper?

Try a magnet. If it sticks, it’s steel, not copper. If it doesn’t stick, check the date for alteration and have it authenticated.

Did Ford give a car for a 1943 copper penny?

No. That widely circulated claim was never true.

Is there a 1943-D copper penny?

Yes, exactly one. It’s graded PCGS MS64 Brown, sold privately for $1.7 million in 2010 and at auction for $840,000 in 2021.

Sources

  1. US Mint: What’s So Special About the 1943 Copper Penny? (1999)
  2. CoinWeek: Legendary 1943-S Bronze Lincoln Cent Returns to the Market (2026)
  3. NGC: Pair of Famous Lincoln Cent Mint Errors Brought Together Under One Owner (2019)
  4. CoinNews: Legend Sells Lincoln Cent Rarity for Record $1.7 Million (2010)
  5. CoinNews: PCGS-Graded 1943 Bronze Lincoln Cent Sold for $1+ Million (2018)
  6. CoinWeek: $5.8 Million Sells in Heritage Summer FUN Auction (2019)
  7. Greysheet: Bronze Penny Error from 1943 Realizes Over $500k at Heritage (2020)
  8. Heritage: 1943 1C struck on a bronze planchet AU55 PCGS CAC (January 2025)
  9. PCGS CoinFacts: 1943 1C Bronze, BN (#82709)
  10. CBS News: Rare 1943 penny sells for $200,000 (2019)

Prices are public auction results including the buyer’s premium unless marked as a price guide. A coin’s value depends on its exact condition and on having it certified by a grading service such as PCGS or NGC.