The coins that have been altered will have a three that is more rounded, considerably shorter, and points at about 9:00. Pennies made of 95% copper and 5% zinc is sometimes referred to as brass or bronze. Copper-plated steel cents will exhibit a strong magnetic attraction. TVGuide.com. It is as easy as this. “My penny isn’t silver; it’s brown, so I know it isn’t steel.”  Sadly, there are many ways to physically and chemically change the look of steel so that it has that brown bronze copper color. These counterfeiters know the diagnostics of a fake and they are very good at making convincing versions that pass the magnet and weight test. An unworn 1943 zinc-coated steel cent weighs 2.7 gm. Even a small magnet will easily stick to any 1943 penny made of steel. Collectors knew at least as early as 1944 that some authentic 1943 bronze pennies were minted and released into circulation. 40 1943 copper-alloy cents are known to remain in existence. A MS64 (Mint State) is worth $7.00 with brown and red brown examples bringing less.. 1943 S Lincoln Cent Wheat Penny is one of the most mistaken coins, the steel versions are not rare nor valuable in even low mint state grades. However, it never hurts to keep looking! Bad. You will receive a link to create a new password. If you think you are holding a 1943 copper cent, you should have it evaluated by a third-party coin grading service to check for its authenticity. What does your 1943 cent weigh? 99% of the time the magnet test and 3 test will expose 1943 bronze copper cents as being colored steel pennies or authentic 1948 pennies with altered numbers. A 1943 D steel penny has a D below the date and means it was minted from the Denver Mint. Tech Republic. So we are talking about mint state steel wheat back cents only being worth $1 to $2 each. However, copper-plated forgeries abound. Coin experts speculate that they were struck by accident when copper-alloy 1-cent blanks remained in the press hopper when production began on the new steel pennies. The 1943 wheat penny is not only elusive, it could be worth over a million dollars. In fact, this “error” copper coin is known to be over $1 million, nearly $2 million. Step3:  It Doesn’t Stick and the Three Hasn’t Been Altered, Now What? One important method to test your penny if it is copper or steel is simply using a magnet. Most pennies in existence are made out of zinc or copper. Back in the early 1970s, the rising price of copper was pushing the cost to make a penny over its face value of one cent. Mintage Quantity: Unknown though approximately 40-50 have been found. Here is how to determine if your coin is worth $1 or $100,000. If it doesn’t, there’s a chance it may be the rare copper penny, but it still must be tested for authenticity. In 1908, Theodore Roosevelt, approved the design of a new cent. Also, the steel meant the cents were magnetic. These two grading services can definitively tell you if the coins are authentic. 1943 Copper Wheat Penny Weight. Can't Email or Call Right Now? Contrary to this report, you can see that the U.S. Mint acknowledges that the existence of a 1943 copper penny exists from a printing error. The 1943 copper penny can be worth a million dollars as an extremely rare and sought after collectible coin. Legend Numismatics is a coin dealer of rare coins from Lincroft, New Jersey. TV.com. Error message here! If your penny truly is a 1943 copper penny, then it is most likely well worth the upfront cost. Our operators are busy. And don’t celebrate just yet if it passes the magnet test. This means as people deposited magnetic steel pennies through the banking system, banks would have those pennies sorted and wrapped through industrial machinery. Metacritic. – If it does, it’s a common 1943 cent. That compares with a standard weight of 3.11 gm for normal bronze Lincoln cents (pre-1982), and 2.5 gm for current copper-plated zinc cents. Please, leave us a message. What is a 1943 i penny worth? The primary test for these is to use a magnet. CNET. It's a unique coin that weighs 2.7 grams. 1943 rare silver steel penny weighs 2.8 grams Discussion in ' US Coins Forum ' started by Brad Adams, Mar 1, 2020. Rusted coins are not just unpleasant to the eye, but the slow, inevitable mutilation/damage of the coin, forcing new ones to have to be minted just to replace them. The steel pennies would get “stuck” to magnets during the sorting process and potentially get removed from circulation as a result of never making it back into circulation.