What is the value of a 1943 steel cent?
In 1943 we were exporting virtually all of our copper to Germany and Japan in the form of bombs and bullets. To alleviate our shortage of copper, the U.S. produced the Lincoln cent in Zinc coated steel. Unfortunately with the war economy, we made millions of them and they are not rare. A steel cent is worth less than two cents in circulated condition. A VERY small number of 1943 cents were copper, and these are worth quite a bit. If you think you have a copper 1943, try the magnet test. Copper is not magnetic, so if it was plated it will still adhere to a magnet.
