Find a 1943 Copper Penny

The 1943 copper penny is one of the rarest and most valuable coins that a person can find. You can find the 1943 copper penny more easily if you follow these steps.

Steps

  1. Grab some copper pennies.
  2. Turn each penny with the "tails" side up.
  3. Sort the wheat pennies into another jar.
  4. Examine the front of them with a magnifying glass. Look for "1943".
  5. Use a magnet to find the 1943 penny. If it is copper, it will not stick to the magnet. If it is steel (or copper-plated steel), then it will stick to the magnet.

Tips

  • If you have a {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} jug of pennies, take your time. Examine a few coins every night.

Warnings

  • Keep in mind that only about 40 copper 1943 pennies are known to exist, and nearly all of them are in the hands of private collectors. Your chances of finding one in pocket change (or anywhere) is 1 against several billion.
  • Also beware of pennies that have had their year markings altered. Pennies from 1945, 1948 and 1949 can be modified to appear as if they are from 1943. Usually the changes can be spotted with a good magnifying glass.
  • Beware of "copper plated" 1943 steel pennies. If the penny sticks to a magnet, it is not the rare 1943 copper penny.

Things You'll Need

  • Magnifying glass
  • Jar
  • Magnet
  • Pennies

Related Articles

Sources and Citations