I saw this on ebay and thought it was pretty funny. Listed as a "A RARE 1943 Silver Steel Wheat Penny that Sticks To Magnets". That's a lot of money for a 1943 penny that sticks to magnets like most all the rest of the same year of penny. Also what intrigued me though was while looking at the pix on the ad, I noticed the reverse of the coin has a groove or indention on it at the 12 o'clock position. This interested me because a year or so ago, I had found a 1944 penny on the ground in front of an ATM which has the same exact type of groove or indention on it at the 12 o'clock position. It seems from how this groove or indention appears on the coin, it may have happened before or during the minting process. I'm very curious to know how this groove or indention occurred either before or during the minting process. Anyone have any ideas? Here's the ebay ad: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1937661260...MI8cja8pa17wIVOx-tBh1wjgTnEAkYAiABEgLAQPD_BwE Here is a reverse picture of the 1944 penny that I found a year or so ago, showing the groove or indention at the 12 o'clock position.
Silver does not stick to a magnet. Could be plated silver. The price is ridiculous. Wait for more opinions...
Or maybe, since it is a color as well, the coin is simply 'silver colored' as opposed to 'orange' or 'copper colored'. The groove thing is odd.
@VistaCruiser69 The anomalies on the two coins are not the same. The anomaly on the 1944 penny is narrower. I don't know what could have caused either of them.
I'm pretty sure it's just a standard issued steel 1943 D. Yeah, the price plus the title stating that it sticks to a magnet made me LOL.
The similarity of the anomalies caught my eye and interest. It occurred on the same place on the coin (reverse @ 12 o'clock) and a very similar shape. I'd love to know what part of the minting process caused it.
I should bring the 70 or so steelies that I have to the local pawn shop in my area and have them look up the values on ebay. That would justify me selling mine for....oh.....$100 a piece, yes? I had a friend who ran a pawn shop many years ago (mid 90's). He'd call me in when good tools were available for sale that he got from someone who defaulted on their loan. I got a lot of great tools for real cheap that way from him. Anyways, I'd be in there and people would bring stuff in for loan value and he'd look up what the going rates on ebay were. So if something was say, $50.00 with a half a dozen bids on it, he's then give them a loan on it for like $20.00. Knowing that if they default on the loan, he could sell it for a profit. I'm starting to think that's why a standard steelie is listed on ebay for $450 - up to $2,500. Someone is inflating prices for some reason or the other. Perhaps.
Hello CT-ers, As a teenager I remember seeing an beautiful uncirculated wheatie struck on a silver planchette. It was at a coin store located on Main st. downtown Houston & was housed in a Capital™ plastic holder priced at $60. To a 'spoiled' kid getting 5$ a week allowance in the late 50's, that was a fortune! J.T.
The anomaly /groove on the reverse of the coin is caused by the feeder fingers rubbing on the die as Mark68 mentioned. It is known as Accidental Die Abrasion. http://www.error-ref.com/accidental-die-abrasion/ In your photo the wear is actually at the 11 & 1 o'clock position. As the wear is on the die and not the coin or planchet.
