The Lincoln Wheat Penny : Imagine pulling a penny out of your pocket change and realizing it’s worth more than a brand-new luxury car. It sounds like a fantasy — but for one incredibly rare Lincoln Wheat Penny, it’s a very real possibility. Still circulating and often overlooked, this unassuming coin has fetched upwards of $450,000 at auction. Here’s everything you need to know about this numismatic marvel and how to spot one in the wild.
The Lincoln Wheat Penny: A Brief History
The Lincoln Wheat Penny was first minted in 1909, marking the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. Designed by Victor D. Brenner, it was the first U.S. coin to feature a real person — and it quickly became a staple in American coinage.
Minted until 1958, the wheat penny gets its nickname from the two wheat stalks that flank the words “ONE CENT” on the reverse. Although billions were made, a few specific years and minting errors have made certain versions astronomically valuable.
The Penny That’s Worth Over $450,000
The star of the show? The 1943 Bronze Lincoln Wheat Penny.
During World War II, copper was a valuable wartime material used to manufacture ammunition and military equipment. As a result, the U.S. Mint switched from copper to zinc-coated steel for its pennies in 1943. However, a few bronze planchets — leftover from 1942 — accidentally made their way into the presses.
These 1943 bronze pennies are exceedingly rare. Only a few dozen are known to exist, and most were discovered decades ago. But every now and then, one pops up — often mistaken for an ordinary penny.
In 2010, one of these coins sold at auction for $1.7 million. More recently, another surfaced and sold for over $450,000, depending on its condition and provenance.
How to Identify a Rare 1943 Bronze Penny
If you want to check your own change (and you should), here are some key ways to identify a 1943 bronze Wheat Penny:
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Date: Look for a 1943 penny.
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Color: Steel cents are silver-gray. A bronze penny will have a coppery, reddish-brown tone.
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Magnet Test: Steel cents are magnetic. A genuine 1943 bronze penny is not magnetic.
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Weight: Steel cents weigh about 2.7 grams. Bronze cents weigh around 3.11 grams.
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Authentication: If you suspect you have one, get it professionally graded and authenticated by a reputable grading service like PCGS or NGC.
Beware of fakes: Some people try to alter 1948 or 1945 pennies to look like 1943, or plate steel cents to mimic bronze. Expert verification is essential.
Still Circulating?
Surprisingly, yes. It’s entirely possible that a few of these bronze 1943 Wheat Pennies are still out there — hiding in drawers, piggy banks, or pocket change. Because pennies are so common and often overlooked, these hidden treasures may go undetected for decades.
That’s what makes the story so compelling: you could find one at any moment.
Final Thoughts
The story of the 1943 bronze Lincoln Wheat Penny reminds us that hidden treasures might be sitting unnoticed in our everyday lives. With the potential to turn a single cent into hundreds of thousands of dollars, it’s well worth checking your change just a little more carefully.
So next time you get a handful of pennies, take a closer look — because one of them might just be the rare coin that changes your life.