Collecting The 1943 Wheat Penny?
The 1943 Wheat Penny came into circulation due to the war. Copper was badly needed to make bullets so the government decided to make pennies out of steel with a zinc coating. It was made in all three mints; Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco. The coins minted in Denver had “D” marked below the date. San Francisco was also marked below the date but with an “S”.
The 1943 steel penny was not well received by the public. The public wanted their old copper pennies not these new pennies made out of steel. Some people would call the steel wheat pennies “steelies” or “”lead cents”. Also, these shiny pennies were sometimes mistaken for dimes which of course would cost shop owners money if not noticed.
One interesting fact about the 1943 steel penny is that it is the only penny that will stick to a magnet besides a 1943 copper penny. A mistake was made during 1943 and some copper pennies were made. A 1943 copper penny has a zinc coating so it will stick to a magnet too. If you think you have a 1943 copper penny you should really hold on to it because it is extremely rare. Some 1943 copper pennies on the market are not genuine so be careful who you buy from. Fakes are worth about 15 cents as a novelty item. The value of a circulated 1943 steel penny is around 12 to 15 cents. A non circulated steel penny has the value of around 50 cents.
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