1943 Copper (Bronze) Penny
Variety of the 1943 Lincoln Wheat Cent struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 40 made
- Mintage
- 40 (approx.)
- Metal
- 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc
- Weight
- 3.11 g
- Diameter
- 19.05 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1943 Copper (Bronze) Penny worth?
Value depends entirely on whether the coin is genuine and on its condition. Have any candidate authenticated before you buy or sell.
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1943 Copper (Bronze) Penny rare?
- Yes. It's a variety or error, not a regular issue. Only about 40 are thought to exist.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1943 Lincoln Wheat Cent?
- On the obverse, directly below the date. Philadelphia cents have no mint mark.
- How many 1943 Copper (Bronze) Penny coins were made?
- 40 (approximately).
What to check on your 1943
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Hold a magnet to it. Every regular 1943 cent is steel and sticks firmly; a 1943 cent that does not stick is either a copper-plated fake or one of the famous bronze errors and needs expert authentication.
- Check the date and mint mark under magnification for tooling or added letters. Scarce dates are the ones forgers alter.
- Judge the grade under good light. Check the parallel lines in the wheat stalks, Lincoln's cheek and jaw, plus the hair above the ear. Uncirculated cents are also graded by color (RD, RB, BN) and full red coins are worth multiples of brown ones.
Low-mintage dates attract altered and counterfeit coins. Check that the date have not been tooled or added, or buy one already certified by PCGS or NGC.
The story of the 1943
Steel cents and shell case brass (1943 to 1946)
Copper was needed for the war effort, so in 1943 the Mint struck cents on zinc coated steel. They are lighter at 2.70 grams, stick to a magnet and were often confused with dimes. The zinc coating wore quickly and the steel rusted, so most survivors are dull gray or spotted. A few bronze cents dated 1943 were struck by mistake on leftover planchets and rank among the most famous errors, though most offered are plated or altered fakes.
In 1944 the Mint returned to a copper alloy made partly from melted cartridge cases, which gives these coins a slightly different shade. A few 1944 cents were struck on steel planchets by mistake. Denver made the 1944-D/S overmintmark. The 1943-D has a repunched D variety. Production stayed very high through 1946, so common dates from these years are easy to find, often with bright red color.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1943
To save copper for the war effort, cents were struck in zinc-coated steel. A handful of bronze planchets left in the presses produced the famous 1943 copper cents.
How to recognize it
Abraham Lincoln faces right with IN GOD WE TRUST above, LIBERTY to the left and the date to the right. The mint mark, when there is one, sits below the date. The reverse has two ears of wheat framing ONE CENT and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, with E PLURIBUS UNUM across the top. The designer's initials V.D.B. appear on the reverse of some 1909 coins and on Lincoln's shoulder from 1918.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Lincoln Wheat Cent (1909–1958) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1943 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 40 (approx.) |
| Face value | 1¢ |
| Composition | 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc (bronze) |
| Weight | 3.11 grams |
| Diameter | 19.05 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Victor David Brenner |
Other 1943 Lincoln Wheat Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 Lincoln Wheat Cent | 684,628,670 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1943 Copper (Bronze) Penny | about 40 known | Variety | – |
| 1943-D Lincoln Wheat Cent | 217,660,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1943-D Copper (Bronze) Penny | – | Variety | – |
| 1943-S Lincoln Wheat Cent | 191,550,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1943-S Copper (Bronze) Penny | – | Variety | – |
Mintage: Lincoln cent mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.