What is so special about finding a copper 1943 penny?

Answer 1

because in 1943 was made from zinc-plated steel.

click here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cent_%28United_States_coin%29#History_of_composition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_cent

Answer 2

From the US Mint:

40 1943 copper-alloy cents are known to remain in existence. Coin experts speculate that they were struck by accident when copper-alloy 1-cent blanks remained in the press hopper when production began on the new steel pennies.

A 1943 copper cent was first offered for sale in 1958, bringing more than $40,000. A subsequent piece sold for $10,000 at an ANA convention in 1981. The highest amount paid for a 1943 copper cent was $82,500 in 1996.

Because of its collector value, the 1943 copper cent has been counterfeited by coating steel cents with copper or by altering the dates of 1945, 1948, and 1949 pennies.

The easiest way to determine if a 1943 cent is made of steel, and not copper, is to use a magnet. If it sticks to the magnet, it is not copper. If it does not stick, the coin might be of copper and should be authenticated by an expert.

Answer 3

Right behind the 1955 doubled die cent, the 1943 copper cent is one of the notable error rarities of the Lincoln cent series. An estimated 40 examples are believed to have been struck, with 12 confirmed to exist. The error occurred when copper planchets were left in the press hopper and press machines during the changeover from copper to steel blanks. Examples were discovered in the late 1940s, with the first two discovered in 1947, and another in 1958. An example first sold in 1958 for $40,000; one mint state specimen sold for over $200,000 in 2004.