Reference price
$451,000 – $2,000,000
Mintage: 1
Diameter: 19 mm
Thickness: 1.55 mm
Weight: 3.11 grams
Designer: Victor D Brenner
Metal Composition: 95% Copper – 5% Tin & Zinc
The 1943-D Bronze/Copper Lincoln Wheat Cent is one of the rarest and most intriguing US coins. All 1943 pennies were supposed to be steel cents; however, a few left-over copper planchets from 1942 were utilized during the 1943 transition to steel. While 1943 copper cents were produced at all three mints, only one 1943-D copper cent from the Denver mint is known to exist, although a handful may still be out there awaiting discovery, according to most experts.
Beware fake counterfeits, as this coin is one of the most counterfeited US coins of all time. Fake coins may be created by plating a 1943 steel penny in copper. You can test the coin’s authenticity by holding it close to a magnet. If it sticks, it’s made of steel and is, therefore, a fake. Another tactic to be aware of is scammers filing down the left side of the “8” on a copper 1948 wheat penny to resemble a “3,” tricking people into believing they possess the rare copper 1943 wheat penny.
