bornbluegrass

Is a shiny 1943 steel penny worth more than one cent?

satootoko

Statistically, I would have to say no.

The great majority of shiny '43 cents are "reprocessed" and numismatically worthless. You can >> click here << or >> here << to read more about this method of making corroded coins look shiny - which absolutely does not mean original.

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bornbluegrass

I've been looking thru old posts about steel penny - and about coatings. Do these look like original? And how do I determine value? THanks for your time and expertise. (i have 32 more but they are more dingy or corroded looking).

Angie

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huntsman53

bornbluegrass,

In the first (left) picture, the two cents on the left appear to be original but the one in the 2x2 on the right appears to be reprocessed. In the second (right) picture, all of the cents appear to be original. Make sure that you check all of your 1943, 1943-D and 1943-S Cents with a magnet! There were a few that were struck on aluminum planchets and there could have been a few struck on zinc coated - copper planchets.


Good luck...Frank

wyattreally

I thought steel pennies were common, not valuable yet everytime someone mentions nuministics to me they're like ... 'oh steel penny worth money'. What is this about?

GDJMSP

A common misconception, nothing more. It's like most non collectors think that a coin 100 yrs old or more has to be valuable. Well, depending on how do you define valuable I suppose it could be. But I don't normally consider $10 - $12 ( value of a common date circ Morgan ) valuable. But some folks might.

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mrbrklyn

Yeah

But how cool is it that you can get something really nice that is over 100 years old for less than 50 bucks.

To me, Morgans are way underpriced.

Ruben

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vipergts2

I'd like to keep it that way too.....at least until I get my set completed.

Mikjo0

Back when I was a little kid back in 19^@ (sorry my shift key sticks,but you armchair detectives can figure it out) we used to get steel cents in change all the time.We'd show them to our friends and then go spend them on candy 10 minutes later.I doubt they'll ever really be valuable in any of our lifetimes.(except maybe Speedy)

Speedy

1962

Speedy

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NEABEN

I do believe they are tin pennies. Made to replace the copper ones as the copper was sent to the front during the war. Numismatically they are history, not much metal value, they can also appear in a palate collection. They are of exchange value with another collector!!! but I havent heard that they are of high sale value unless a collector is willing to buy it at premium just to own one. At least this is information I gathered when researching the value of the ones I own. Hopefully you get more info, in which case don't forget to enlighten me.

hontonai

When I took high school chemistry in the '40s, tin (sn) and steel (alloy of primarily fe) were entirely different metals.

During the late stages of WW II the Japanese minted some <¥1 coins in a tin-zinc alloy, but other than that I'm not sure if there have ever been any tin coins. Basically tin is too soft for coinage use.

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NEABEN

Hm, yeah the ww2 was when these coins were put out isnt it? instead of the copper ones? would these (if steel) have a tendency to rust? The ones I have in plastic boxes seem to be getting a tad bit black on the rims. Dont want to open them as the plastic cases are sealed..Thanks for the info though, appreciate it. Personally, I'm into bullion.

gopher29

The direct answer to your question is 'yes'. A 1943 Steel Cent is worth more than face value even if it has been reprocessed. I'm sure you can sell it for at least ten cents to someone. If it was only worth face value then it would still be circulating. Collectors pull coins from circulation either because they are already worth more than their face or because they are speculating that they will soon be worth more than their face. I have a few of those reprocessed steel cents in my collection, and while I may not be a big fan of them, I'm still not willing to spend them at only their face value.

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