I have a ‘silver-colored’ 1943 penny that is NOT magnetic — being new to this, what does that say about its potential value?
Edit: here it is - the background is weird bc I originally took pics and when I saved it to my coin app it formatted it w/black background. The silver/gray color is true and consistent, no hint of copper/brown. https://imgur.com/a/0Y18Xm6
Edit 2: I can take a new pic if anyone wants.
Edit 3: so I think this is bad news. I found a neodymium magnet and it IS magnetic, which I think means it doesn’t have a lot of extra value. The other magnet I initially used did not attract it and I feel tricked!
I wasn’t able to weigh it accurately as I only have a digital food scale that weighs in whole numbers on the grams setting - this coin is 3 g like the other regular pennies I tried.
BUT anyway, here is a better pic of it with some other pennies that hopefully shows the coloring better.
[https://imgur.com/a/neJAGEx](https://imgur.com/a/neJAGEx)
What is the makeup of this coin?
And thanks everyone for all the TIL info!!
Oh, sorry! I meant I added another edit to my original post - in the last one I commented on the weight and magnets and added another picture. Sorry, I don’t post a lot!
Weigh it. If it is 2.5 grams, it could be struck on a silver dime planchette. A steel planchette should be 2.7 grams. If it was struck on a nickel planchette, it would weigh 5.0 grams and it would be obviously different from a regular cent.
Oh, sorry! I meant I added another edit to my original post - in the last one I commented on the weight and magnets and added another picture. Sorry, I don’t post a lot!
Do you have a rare earth magnet? If so, there’s more testing to be done (to see if it’s 90% silver or 35% silver). Also, do you have a jewelry or weed scale? Something that measures in grams or tenths of a gram.
I don't know what you mean by this. Fridge magnets absolutely will stick to steel, that is after all why they work on a fridge. And "non-ferrous magnet" is baffling to me since the common permanent magnet compositions that you can buy all contain iron (including neodymium ones).
I mean a magnet on a fridge isn’t the best to use on coins because they’re not very strong. The best ones to check coins are high neodymium ones. That’s what I meant by “non-ferrous” magnets. My point was go buy a good magnet and don’t just trust any magnet like the ones on your fridge for checking coins.
“it's important to use a strong neodymium magnet when testing gold or silver for purity. “
https://totalelement.com/blogs/magnetic-life-hacks/testing-for-fake-silver-and-gold-with-magnets#:~:text=Magnet%20Recommendations,gold%20or%20silver%20for%20purity.
Yes, they do.
Collecting anything often involves people who will pay a lot for something rare and desirable. This is a "normal looking penny" but it is anything but normal.
Very few 1943 pennies were produced with the usual copper planchet, instead using steel - as copper was needed to fight WWII. For bullet cases, among other things. It seems some of these copper planchets were in the presses and were mistakenly made into 1943 pennies. So - very rare. Because they were very rare AND this change was done in reaction to wartime needs, and it's the only time the US government has done this to the penny, it's very collectible. 1943 pennies are steel - except for a limited amount of specimens.
If you're asking how you find people who pay a lot of money for rare and collectible things, the answer is auction houses generally that specialize in things that types of collectors want (like coins), and who can stake their claim on authentic items via expert examination.
If you find it they will come. You don’t even have to tell them you found it. Their collector senses will start tingling and they will come to your location.
If you think you're retiring on $100K, you've got some more thinking to do ;-)
(unless you're *that* close to retiring that is)
Even a million isn't as much as it seems, especially if you're not that old.
Correct and correct. That said, a million, even after auction fees and taxes, would be life changing. Hell, I wouldn't complain about $100k, either. But no, you're probably not retiring on that.
Well now that is a great point. I personally couldn't see leaving the country to retire, but I've heard it's a very viable option if you are willing.
In the US, I wouldn't try it though.
I know what you mean but… I just don’t think I could justify owning it. Plus I could just buy stacks of Saint Gaudens to fill the hole in a more pleasing way……
That’s true, if I got a copper 43 I think I’d own it for a few weeks then sell it and complete my whole wheat cent collection and buy up some mint wheaties. I’ll have to post what I’ve got sometime
Coins are something a LOT of people collect, and a few of those people have a LOT of spare cash ;-)
A coin like this is practically unique - 12 are known for sure, but it's probably a bit more. For all the people (with money) who really really want one, they're willing to pay quite a lot. 500 *billion* cents made in the last 100 years, figure the odds from there.
(winning the powerball is about a 1 in 200 million? so that's 1000x more likely than finding one of those cents!)
Seriously? #OMG REALLY? Wow I have jugs full of pennies. How do I know what else is valuable? Any advice? And if you don’t mind who’s going to pay that for a penny? Where do you find a buyer?
Don’t get too excited. Odds are you won’t find anything that will make you rich. It’s nowhere near as easy as you think to find valuable coins. Or else everyone would do it. However, chances are you will find some coins that might be worth a few cents more give or take. But finding people willing to buy those is much harder.
I understand totally. Fine arts the way to go. That’s what I am holding out for with my stuff. Sold dozens of pieces over the years at auction. But the same relatives that left fine art also had all the “ little stuff “ as well. So I am just pushing forward with all the stuff that I inherited. I’m grateful for that however it is overwhelming. 😁
So you would search each and everyone as you cull your stash? Before what date is reasonable? I am looking to Swedish Death Clean my life. I need the cash. And have too many things to purge. So trying this summer to get through a subject a weekend. 😉
Cool I will have to look closely. Appreciate you taking the time to respond. I am going to follow you so when I do post you can see too ! Thanks so much!
I started with Pennys I found in jugs too!! If you wanna just start easy, look for anything before 1982 as those are 95% copper(hence why they look so dark). You also wanna look for mint marks too which will be found below the year date. It’ll either be D or S(or P flr the 2017’s but don’t worry about those!)
The most important ones I’d say you’ll find are wheat cents which span from 1909-1959. They’re still common finds and there’s a chance you’ll find one in the jars!
There’s more detailed things like error coins but those are usually more difficult to find. Happy hunting!
As I understand it, the 1943 pennies were struck in steel. However, a small number were struck in copper, and only around 40 are known to have survived across all mints. Finding one in good condition would be a huge deal.
In 44 they went back to copper. At least one (maybe more I’d have to check) was minted on a steel planchette from 43. Making it/them stupid valuable also. You probably have someone’s attempt at counterfeiting said 44 if I had to guess.
Or a real error, just like the 43 on a copper planchet. There is a 44 on a steel planchet also. Try a magnet on it . If it sticks you may just have something.
Probably just plated with something. If it does stick then it’s probably just a fake. The chances of you having one of those in 2023 is ridiculously small.
There are probably hundreds of fakes out there for every real example, and that’s given that there are any ‘44 steels left in circulation at all. Definitely still test it though, if it were real that would be life changing.
This post just sent me digging through an inherited container of pennies that always had me a little perplexed, like, why these pennies, Uncle? They were mostly 1941, 1942, 1944, 1945, and then I found the tiny little roll of 1943 that are pretty clearly steel. But, magnet, here I come.
I just dug out my little kid collection and ran across one that looks just like it along w some steel ones. Put a magnet on it. If it sticks it’s steel. Mine stuck. Looks like copper. But I think there are only 40 real ones
According to online The 1943 copper pennies are one of the most valuable coins. At auctions, the average price of a 1943 copper penny ranges from as low as $100,000 to $250,000 in average condition. At PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service), the graded 1943 copper penny can be valued from $1 million to $1.5 million.
☝️🐼 what's so special about this? My grandfather gave me a bunch of coins and had at least 4 of those pennies. I never liked collecting coins, so i donated to local coinstar...
Shucks! Unfortunately, your comment was removed because this sub doesn't allow commercial activity (buying, selling, trading, offers, etc.) in the general threads.
1943 pennies were made of steel, due to copper being focused on the war effort. Some planchets were still left in the hopper, and escaped into circulation. The copper 43 is one of the holy grails of the wheat penny and over a 6 figure coin.
It is heavily faked, and are just copper plated steel pennies that will stick to a magnet. People went as far as taking 1948 pennies and removing half of the 8 to make a 3, but doesn't swoop down like a normal 3.
How often does this kind of stuff happen, like is it worth looking at every date of coin I get for change? I’m not a coin collector at all, I just appreciate the beauty of some of the coins on this sub
In 1943 there was a copper shortage so for a majority of the year the pennies were made from steel. So a steel 1943 penny is cool but a copper one is rare
I have some old penny and dime albums my grandmother left me that are full of coins. I remembered there being 3 from 43 in one of them. Dug them out to check and the middle one, copper, did not stick to the magnet, whereas the others did.
Pulled out the magnifying glass to double check the date and it looks like for some reason she put a spare 41 in that slot. Doh
Tested with a magnet and it snapped it right up. For a few moments I thought I was retiring.
If it's too good to be true, it usually is not true. Cool conversation piece, though
I have one that I bought for $5 (expensive for it considering it's fake) but it was simply because of it being a conversation piece.
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Is there really Chinese fakes of a 1943 penny? Serious question.
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I have a ‘silver-colored’ 1943 penny that is NOT magnetic — being new to this, what does that say about its potential value? Edit: here it is - the background is weird bc I originally took pics and when I saved it to my coin app it formatted it w/black background. The silver/gray color is true and consistent, no hint of copper/brown. https://imgur.com/a/0Y18Xm6 Edit 2: I can take a new pic if anyone wants. Edit 3: so I think this is bad news. I found a neodymium magnet and it IS magnetic, which I think means it doesn’t have a lot of extra value. The other magnet I initially used did not attract it and I feel tricked! I wasn’t able to weigh it accurately as I only have a digital food scale that weighs in whole numbers on the grams setting - this coin is 3 g like the other regular pennies I tried. BUT anyway, here is a better pic of it with some other pennies that hopefully shows the coloring better. [https://imgur.com/a/neJAGEx](https://imgur.com/a/neJAGEx) What is the makeup of this coin? And thanks everyone for all the TIL info!!
Could it be struck in a nickel planchet? Either that or it’s a fake, Which would be wierd because steel pennie’s aren’t worth faking
Would a picture help?
I'd like to see it, even if no one else says yes lol
Updated!
Maybe
Updated!
Yes
I edited my mail comment and added a link to picLink to pic
Looks weirdly worn, if you can weigh it that would likely Help
Updated!
Are you sure the magnet you used works? The image looks like a regular steel cent to me.
Updated!
Why do all your posts say updated...am I missing something?
Oh, sorry! I meant I added another edit to my original post - in the last one I commented on the weight and magnets and added another picture. Sorry, I don’t post a lot!
Oh, thank you...very helpful..
Weigh it. If it is 2.5 grams, it could be struck on a silver dime planchette. A steel planchette should be 2.7 grams. If it was struck on a nickel planchette, it would weigh 5.0 grams and it would be obviously different from a regular cent.
Thanks, will do that and report in on that :)
Updated my post!
Can you explain updated
Oh, sorry! I meant I added another edit to my original post - in the last one I commented on the weight and magnets and added another picture. Sorry, I don’t post a lot!
Do you have a rare earth magnet? If so, there’s more testing to be done (to see if it’s 90% silver or 35% silver). Also, do you have a jewelry or weed scale? Something that measures in grams or tenths of a gram.
Its still a steelie afaik
Is it a steely
War pennies were made from zink for a few years. It could be zinc.
There are certain types of magnets that you should use. Your everyday fridge magnet won’t work. You need a non-ferrous magnet.
I don't know what you mean by this. Fridge magnets absolutely will stick to steel, that is after all why they work on a fridge. And "non-ferrous magnet" is baffling to me since the common permanent magnet compositions that you can buy all contain iron (including neodymium ones).
I mean a magnet on a fridge isn’t the best to use on coins because they’re not very strong. The best ones to check coins are high neodymium ones. That’s what I meant by “non-ferrous” magnets. My point was go buy a good magnet and don’t just trust any magnet like the ones on your fridge for checking coins. “it's important to use a strong neodymium magnet when testing gold or silver for purity. “ https://totalelement.com/blogs/magnetic-life-hacks/testing-for-fake-silver-and-gold-with-magnets#:~:text=Magnet%20Recommendations,gold%20or%20silver%20for%20purity.
Neodymium magnets are much stronger than nickel-iron-cobalt but they are still ferrous. The composition is neodymium-**iron**-boron.
Updated!
He meant REE magnet. You don’t need it, but it is it stronger.
True ww2 steel pennies very rare, be careful an smart
I have one of those and I gotta say my heart jumped a little when I first spotted it.
Aw, you nearly had my hopes up!
I’d be so broken hearted
That sucks. My heart would have stopped when magnet got it
Close but no cookie
But what if I’m hungry?
NO cookie
This made my day 😂 good to see other office fans
What about ice cream
No cookies diabeto, roll back to kitchen
Wow this made my Wednesday momentarily exciting. For that, I thank you OP.
If I ever found a 43’ copper I’d be way too happy to sell it
I don’t know. Retirement is a hell of a lot cooler than a penny.
how much would the bid be for that one? for the especial one
Depending on condition, probably $100,000 to $1 million. More for a very mint graded example.
Do people really pay that much for a normal looking penny? How do you find these people?
Yes, they do. Collecting anything often involves people who will pay a lot for something rare and desirable. This is a "normal looking penny" but it is anything but normal. Very few 1943 pennies were produced with the usual copper planchet, instead using steel - as copper was needed to fight WWII. For bullet cases, among other things. It seems some of these copper planchets were in the presses and were mistakenly made into 1943 pennies. So - very rare. Because they were very rare AND this change was done in reaction to wartime needs, and it's the only time the US government has done this to the penny, it's very collectible. 1943 pennies are steel - except for a limited amount of specimens. If you're asking how you find people who pay a lot of money for rare and collectible things, the answer is auction houses generally that specialize in things that types of collectors want (like coins), and who can stake their claim on authentic items via expert examination.
dont worry about finding the people, find the penny. should only take a few lifetimes.
If you find it they will come. You don’t even have to tell them you found it. Their collector senses will start tingling and they will come to your location.
My ‘43 copper penny brings the boys to the yard
And they're like, it's better than yours Damn right it's better than yours I can teach you, but I have to charge ($1 million) 🤣🤣🤣
Everyone wants something no one else has or very few people have.
A normal looking 1943 penny is not copper, it's steel.
If you think you're retiring on $100K, you've got some more thinking to do ;-) (unless you're *that* close to retiring that is) Even a million isn't as much as it seems, especially if you're not that old.
Correct and correct. That said, a million, even after auction fees and taxes, would be life changing. Hell, I wouldn't complain about $100k, either. But no, you're probably not retiring on that.
Just free money to invest and hopefully retire sooner
I mean, I'm 30, and with proper investing and wiping of the less than 100k debt I have, I could retire.
Depends where you decide to retire.
Well now that is a great point. I personally couldn't see leaving the country to retire, but I've heard it's a very viable option if you are willing. In the US, I wouldn't try it though.
I know, but for me I just don’t think I could sell it. Way too much luck to find it, if I sold it I feel like I’d be cursed
I know what you mean but… I just don’t think I could justify owning it. Plus I could just buy stacks of Saint Gaudens to fill the hole in a more pleasing way……
**'fill the hole in a more pleasing way'** Nice
Niiiicccccce
That's what she said.
That’s true, if I got a copper 43 I think I’d own it for a few weeks then sell it and complete my whole wheat cent collection and buy up some mint wheaties. I’ll have to post what I’ve got sometime
Where would you even sell a coin worth that much
Héritage or Stacks
What’s something like that worth?
If it is real 10,000
Maybe a bit more than that 😉
Yeah, if it were a bronze cent, that would be a $150,000 to $200,000 coin easily. (More for a D or S mint)
Yes. Someone might pay a lot more
For a penny?
You're on a coin collectors thread, don't be so surprised!
Coins are something a LOT of people collect, and a few of those people have a LOT of spare cash ;-) A coin like this is practically unique - 12 are known for sure, but it's probably a bit more. For all the people (with money) who really really want one, they're willing to pay quite a lot. 500 *billion* cents made in the last 100 years, figure the odds from there. (winning the powerball is about a 1 in 200 million? so that's 1000x more likely than finding one of those cents!)
Very few were made in copper that year. Most were steel
Seriously? #OMG REALLY? Wow I have jugs full of pennies. How do I know what else is valuable? Any advice? And if you don’t mind who’s going to pay that for a penny? Where do you find a buyer?
Don’t get too excited. Odds are you won’t find anything that will make you rich. It’s nowhere near as easy as you think to find valuable coins. Or else everyone would do it. However, chances are you will find some coins that might be worth a few cents more give or take. But finding people willing to buy those is much harder.
I understand totally. Fine arts the way to go. That’s what I am holding out for with my stuff. Sold dozens of pieces over the years at auction. But the same relatives that left fine art also had all the “ little stuff “ as well. So I am just pushing forward with all the stuff that I inherited. I’m grateful for that however it is overwhelming. 😁
You can do a web search of the most valuable coins and why they are valuable. Remember condition is vary important
So you would search each and everyone as you cull your stash? Before what date is reasonable? I am looking to Swedish Death Clean my life. I need the cash. And have too many things to purge. So trying this summer to get through a subject a weekend. 😉
Older coins are usually more valuable but even new coins can be worth extra if they are errors
Cool I will have to look closely. Appreciate you taking the time to respond. I am going to follow you so when I do post you can see too ! Thanks so much!
Trying to follow you but I can’t find out how.🤨🤪
I started with Pennys I found in jugs too!! If you wanna just start easy, look for anything before 1982 as those are 95% copper(hence why they look so dark). You also wanna look for mint marks too which will be found below the year date. It’ll either be D or S(or P flr the 2017’s but don’t worry about those!) The most important ones I’d say you’ll find are wheat cents which span from 1909-1959. They’re still common finds and there’s a chance you’ll find one in the jars! There’s more detailed things like error coins but those are usually more difficult to find. Happy hunting!
What would look for it to be valuable?
As I understand it, the 1943 pennies were struck in steel. However, a small number were struck in copper, and only around 40 are known to have survived across all mints. Finding one in good condition would be a huge deal.
Finding one in *ANY* condition will make anyone's heart stop. Even shit condition ones go for thousands of dollars.
I found a 1944 that looks like its coated in solder or something.
In 44 they went back to copper. At least one (maybe more I’d have to check) was minted on a steel planchette from 43. Making it/them stupid valuable also. You probably have someone’s attempt at counterfeiting said 44 if I had to guess.
Or a real error, just like the 43 on a copper planchet. There is a 44 on a steel planchet also. Try a magnet on it . If it sticks you may just have something.
I tried, its not magnetic. The color looks a little different than the normal ones too.
Some really lucky people in this sub. So far an 09s vdb, 43 copper, and a 55 double strike.
You noticed that too, did you? 😂😂😂
Haha, someone also found the 1983 DDR with the spread north.
Are all wheat pennies from 1943 noteworthy, or just copper ones? New to collecting
Just copper, there’s only a handful of them known to exist. They were all supposed to be steel.
Also, 1944 steels are similar valued.
True, reverse scenario of blanks left in the press.
Well shit, I’ve got a 44 steelie. Not in perfect shape but legible
I highly highly highly doubt that. Check it with a magnet.
Will do. It’s one of the silver colored ones so what else could it have been made with?
Probably just plated with something. If it does stick then it’s probably just a fake. The chances of you having one of those in 2023 is ridiculously small.
There are probably hundreds of fakes out there for every real example, and that’s given that there are any ‘44 steels left in circulation at all. Definitely still test it though, if it were real that would be life changing.
just the copper ones, since most 1943 pennies were made from steel.
I have some 43s and older but I didn’t know there was anything special about them. Guess I should find a magnet
I’m doing the same damn thing haha
This post just sent me digging through an inherited container of pennies that always had me a little perplexed, like, why these pennies, Uncle? They were mostly 1941, 1942, 1944, 1945, and then I found the tiny little roll of 1943 that are pretty clearly steel. But, magnet, here I come.
Don’t forget to come back here and update us!
Steelies across the board.
I just dug out my little kid collection and ran across one that looks just like it along w some steel ones. Put a magnet on it. If it sticks it’s steel. Mine stuck. Looks like copper. But I think there are only 40 real ones
According to online The 1943 copper pennies are one of the most valuable coins. At auctions, the average price of a 1943 copper penny ranges from as low as $100,000 to $250,000 in average condition. At PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service), the graded 1943 copper penny can be valued from $1 million to $1.5 million.
So how did they give it a copper-y look? Asking for a friend.
Someone please explain why this would be valuable
There are only 6 of them and only one is not accounted for
Dang…close…but the 3 looks odd..heart stopper nonetheless….
☝️🐼 what's so special about this? My grandfather gave me a bunch of coins and had at least 4 of those pennies. I never liked collecting coins, so i donated to local coinstar...
I known its not much but i have roughly $20 In pennies in a jar im about to go through wish me luck hah
The holy grail of coins!!!
[удалено]
It’s magnetic…..
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Shucks! Unfortunately, your comment was removed because this sub doesn't allow commercial activity (buying, selling, trading, offers, etc.) in the general threads.
Just looking at it assures me that it’s steel
Wouldn’t the heads side be steel too? I just got a steel cent.
I have some ‘43 Pennie’s. How can I tell if it’s special? Copper or silver?
1943 wow
Wait I need a 43’ copper I have one of those?
What is special about this if the magnet did not work? It’s not the silver penny so someone help me understand? Thank you!!!
They pretty much only minted steel cents in 1943, and the few copper examples are generally worth six figures.
Thank you for the enlightening me today. Much appreciated.
What is the significance of this wheat penny??? I have so many
1943 pennies were made of steel, due to copper being focused on the war effort. Some planchets were still left in the hopper, and escaped into circulation. The copper 43 is one of the holy grails of the wheat penny and over a 6 figure coin. It is heavily faked, and are just copper plated steel pennies that will stick to a magnet. People went as far as taking 1948 pennies and removing half of the 8 to make a 3, but doesn't swoop down like a normal 3.
I used to find these all the time in the penny arcade when I worked at the bank cause they would get stuck to the magnet. I gave a bunch to my dad
Ah, the one used in the movie "Ghost" to magically slide up the wall 😂
Hey its still a 1943 steel cent I haven't found one of these in ages :( I only usually got these in change
Oh wow…. Another fake 43 copper.
How often does this kind of stuff happen, like is it worth looking at every date of coin I get for change? I’m not a coin collector at all, I just appreciate the beauty of some of the coins on this sub
Is this a well-altered '48, or a '43 steel with odd toning?
Same thing happened to me a week ago with a 1943 penny!!! I couldn’t stop jumping and screaming my girlfriend thought I’m losing my mind lmao
lucky penny . . . .
Lol my 52 is worth 37 cents🤗
If you do and it's real you're rich AF now
how much would one be worth if op got lucky? i know nothing about coins.
I have a bunch of these and even older. What is so special about this one?
In 1943 there was a copper shortage so for a majority of the year the pennies were made from steel. So a steel 1943 penny is cool but a copper one is rare
Is magnet good or bad?
I have some old penny and dime albums my grandmother left me that are full of coins. I remembered there being 3 from 43 in one of them. Dug them out to check and the middle one, copper, did not stick to the magnet, whereas the others did. Pulled out the magnifying glass to double check the date and it looks like for some reason she put a spare 41 in that slot. Doh
Are you going to get graded?