When they took these coins to a coin dealer, the coin dealer would hold a magnet over the penny, and the steel underneath the copper plating would attract the penny to the magnet. This process is the easiest way to tell if your penny is solid copper or copperplated.
How many 1943 steel pennies are in circulation?
1.1 billion of them were struck, including 685 million 1943 steel cents, 218 million 1943-D steel pennies and 192 million 1943-S steel cents. Each was composed of 99% steel and 1% zinc rather than 95% copper and 5% zinc and tin as pennies struck before 1943 were.
How can you tell if a 1943 Penny is copper or steel?
If it is a silvery gray color, it is probably a steel penny. If it looks more like a common brownish penny, it may be one of the rare copper 1943 pennies. Pass a magnet over the coin. If the penny is attracted to the magnet, it is a steel cent, not copper. Weigh the coin.
Why are the planchets of the 1943 Penny rusting?
As the zinc coating wore off the steel core the exposed steel underneath began to rust. The manufacturing process for producing the planchets was also flawed. Mint workers first rolled a sheet of steel to the proper thickness. Next, the steel sheet was plated with zinc and passed through a blanking press.
Which is lighter a copper penny or a Steel Penny?
Steel 1943 pennies weigh just 2.7 grams each, lighter than the copper penny of 3.11 grams. It is also the only US coin to not contain any copper whatsoever. How much is a 1943 Steel Penny worth? Steel pennies are sometimes referred to as a silver penny. However, steel pennies are not actually silver, but steel.
Is the 1943 penny worth a million dollars?
There are two version of the United States 1943 penny: 1) 1943 Steel Cent minted during the World War II copper shortage era. 2) 1943 Copper Penny minted with extreme rarity due to most likely leftover copper planchets (blanks) from 1942. The 1943 copper penny can be worth a million dollars as an extremely rare and sought after collectible coin.
