Most Lincoln pennies are worth only their face value, but one rare mistake from World War II created a legendary collector’s item. In 1943, the U.S. Mint switched Lincoln cents from bronze to zinc-coated steel because copper was needed for the war effort. During the change, a small number of bronze blanks apparently remained inside minting equipment.

Those leftover bronze planchets were accidentally struck with 1943 dies, creating coins that should not have existed. When collectors began noticing them in the late 1940s, their rarity quickly attracted attention. A normal 1943 cent has a gray steel appearance, while the rare bronze version has the familiar reddish-brown color of older copper-alloy pennies.

The 1943 Bronze Lincoln Cent became famous because it combined an unusual minting error with an important period in American history. Collectors became increasingly interested in finding additional examples, but genuine coins are exceptionally scarce, representing an unlikely combination of wartime history and minting error.

Because these coins are so rare, suspected examples must be examined carefully. Weight, composition, appearance, and professional authentication all help determine whether a coin is genuine, since altered or counterfeit examples can look convincing. Some authentic specimens have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars, with reported auction prices reaching around $336,000, so if you find one, do not clean or modify it and have it examined by a reputable dealer.