Do you mean a 1943 penny, since there were over a billion struck - ? Anyway, copper was a strategic material needed for ammunition casings. To free up copper for the war effort, in 1943 the Mint decided to strike cents out of zinc-plated steel. The coins quickly proved to be unsatisfactory for a number of reasons - they were easily confused with dimes, the zinc coating turned dull gray[*], and eventually the steel core began to rust. In 1944 enough copper scrap was available from used shell casings that copper coinage was resumed. As a result, 1944 and '45 cents are sometimes called "shell case cents". A few leftover copper blanks intended for 1942 cents somehow got mixed in with steel blanks intended for '43s, and were struck with that date. These famous "1943 coppers" sell for thousands of dollars today. Unfortunately, they are also often counterfeited so most of the suspected specimens that are now found turn out to be fakes. Similarly, a few steel blanks were struck in 1944 so there are "'44 steels" but these are less sought-after than the '43 coppers. [*]The gray color caused people who were unfamiliar with the coins' composition to erroneously refer to them as "lead" pennies.
A 1943 steel penny is worth just that 1cent.
Average value is 5 to 25 cents.
yes 1943-45 silver nickel 1943 -45 to conserve strategic metals for war production
Try the magnet test, if it sticks to it, it's steel.
In 1941 and 1942 they were in 1943-45 they were made of steel
a 1943 D penny is worth 1.7 million dollars
A 1943 steel penny with no mintmark can be worth $.35 - $1.50
it is not rare enough to have any value [will have value in about 3 years]
A 1943 steel penny is worth just that 1cent.
Penny Valentine was born in 1943.
The 1943 penny was not made with copper, like all other years. Copper was funneled to the War Department so the 1943 penny was made from steel and other compounds.
1943 12 sided Canadian penny
1943
A 1943 penny with a kangaroo on one side is an Australian penny. These can be worth 3.00 dollars or more depending on the condition of the coin.
rust no. Well maybe a 1943 steel penny.
Yes, he has been on the penny since 1909.
No such thing as a Winged Liberty penny. 1943 Lincoln cents are steel. The Winged Liberty (or Mercury) design was used on dimes in 1943.