To say that I was excited when I found a 1943 Wheat penny in an old coin collection would be an understatement. According to Luxe Digital, a version of that coin “sold for $1,750,000 in 2010.” So when I see people down at the Fort Myers Publix dumping all their change into the coin machine I wonder if they took the time to check those coins first.
There’s a lot of unique coins that could net you quite a bit of cash. We’ve talked before about this with the unique Wisconsin quarter. If you found that one it might have made you 6 grand. But let’s talk about the penny that could make you a millionaire.
So here’s the story. Back in 1943, World War 2 was raging and the US Government needed the copper for ammunition. So they made almost all of the pennies that year out of steel. There was still material left in the mint presses from the 1942 production so they accidentally made one batch out of copper. Only about 20-40 of those pennies are out there. A used one, as most are, can net you from $100,000 – $500,000. A very specific version of this penny could could be worth 2 million.
How do I know if I have the copper 1943 Wheat Penny?
This is a very simple test. Go get a magnet. If the coin sticks to the magnet, it’s made of steel and worth about 10 cents. If the penny does not stick to the magnet, you’ve got one. Call off work tomorrow because you need to go get that penny appraised. My penny stuck to the magnet.