is there a chance that I could have one in my pocket or a large jar of change?
2007-01-04 13:30:07 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Games & Recreation ➔ Hobbies & Crafts
You probably will not find one in your loose change. Current estimates by the U.S. Mint place the number of pennies in circulation at around 140 billion. Out of these, only about 40 will be a 1943 copper-alloy cent. You're better off buying a lottery ticket.
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.
2007-01-04 15:16:50 · answer #1 · answered by Torchbug 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is very unlikely. There are a few known examples of the coin.
As you may know, the 1943 cents were made of steel with a zinc plating so that the copper could be used for World War II. As the blanks for the cents were brought in for minting the 43 cents, it is speculated that a copper blank left over from 1942 would from time to time find it's self mixed in with the steel blanks of the 1943 cents.
So there is a chance, but no new previously unknown example has turned up in years. If you do run across what appears to be one, look closely at the date. Dishonest people during the years have use the 1948 cent and modified the 8 to look like a 3.
2007-01-04 15:16:15 · answer #2 · answered by bob d 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As it is right now, no new ones have popped up for years. Your chance of having a real one is slim to none. There are a lot of plated ones out there and as some one here said, they take 1948's and play with the last digit. The 3 they make out of the 8 is to far away from the 4 so it sticks out. You have a better chance of finding a 1995 double die obverse, 1970-S small date,1972 double die obverse, 1983 double die reverse, 1984 double ear, also they used a proof die on some date coins that went into circulation, the A and M in America are further apart than on regular issues for these years, 1998,1999, and 2000. All coins listed here carry a premium so quite large.
2007-01-05 08:18:04 · answer #3 · answered by Taiping 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One thing you can do is to look at the "3" in the date, 1943. The bottom tail of the 3 should extend well below the baseline of the 4. Sometimes fakes were made by taking a 1948 penny and filling in half of the 8, in which case the bottom of the 8 would be on the same baseline as the bottom of the 4. A real one wold be worth around $72,000.
2016-05-23 04:29:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The question is how rare is the penny and the best awnser you're gonna get is it is very rare and valuable.
2007-01-04 13:35:39 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
dout ful i collect coins and dont have one if you do maybe you should sell it on ebay
2007-01-04 13:39:25 · answer #6 · answered by wildrice64 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sure. theres not many cause people usually keep old coins when they find them.
2007-01-04 13:33:30 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋