Expert: Bruce Goldstein - 5/29/2008

Question
One of the residents in my building asked me about this penny.
It looks like bright silver and is dated 1943 D. Her father who recently passed away had been carrying it in a pouch for
years. She wants to know if it's of any value. I am aware of other older pennies that  are not copper but a kind of dull metallic color.
This one is NOT like that. It looks just like silver. Any ideas?


Answer
In 1943, the Mint needed to find another alloy to create cents with as copper was deemed necessary for the war effort. They used zinc-plated steel, hence the silver look.  In circulated condition, they have very little value, maybe 10-25 cents or so, at best.  They are ultra-common.  On the trivia side, Congress is asking the Mint to once again create a steel cent because of the high cost to produce cents today with copper.