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1943 Lincoln Cent Date Guide

The famous steel cent year

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1943 overview Mintage, history, and notes for this year's cents

Philadelphia (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
684,628,670
Mintage Ranking for Type
(10 of 140)

Denver (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
217,660,000
Mintage Ranking for Type
(38 of 140)

San Francisco (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
191,550,000
Mintage Ranking for Type
(43 of 140)

1943 in history

1943 in history
  • The Mint struck Lincoln cents on zinc-coated steel planchets to save copper for World War II munitions.
  • A few 1943 cents were accidentally struck on copper planchets; these errors are among the most valuable Lincoln cents.
  • Steel cents rusted easily and were often mistaken for dimes; the experiment lasted only this one year.
  • Silver Jefferson nickels continued to reduce use of nickel needed for armor and weapons.
  • The Tehran Conference brought Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin together to plan the war against Germany.
  • The Allies invaded Sicily in July and began pushing Axis forces out of the island.
  • The Pentagon building was completed in Arlington, Virginia, as headquarters for the U.S. military.
  • The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was crushed by German forces after desperate Jewish resistance.

1943 Lincoln cent year notes

Collector notes for 1943 Lincoln cents are being prepared.

Images/Mintage Mint issues and coin images for 1943

Philadelphia (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
684,628,670
Mintage Ranking for Type
(10 of 140)

Denver (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
217,660,000
Mintage Ranking for Type
(38 of 140)

San Francisco (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
191,550,000
Mintage Ranking for Type
(43 of 140)
1943 in history What else was happening that year
1943 in history
  • The Mint struck Lincoln cents on zinc-coated steel planchets to save copper for World War II munitions.
  • A few 1943 cents were accidentally struck on copper planchets; these errors are among the most valuable Lincoln cents.
  • Steel cents rusted easily and were often mistaken for dimes; the experiment lasted only this one year.
  • Silver Jefferson nickels continued to reduce use of nickel needed for armor and weapons.
  • The Tehran Conference brought Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin together to plan the war against Germany.
  • The Allies invaded Sicily in July and began pushing Axis forces out of the island.
  • The Pentagon building was completed in Arlington, Virginia, as headquarters for the U.S. military.
  • The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was crushed by German forces after desperate Jewish resistance.
1943 cent notes Collector notes for this year's Lincoln cents

Collector notes for 1943 Lincoln cents are being prepared.

Key Dates & Errors Key dates, valuable errors, and genuine vs fake guidance for 1943

See the list of all key dates and errors in Lincoln cents

Design types Obverse and reverse engravings in use for 1943

Obverse design types (ODT)

  • Flat serif G obverse
    Flat serif G obverse — ODT09 · 1922–1929 · business · 1931–1933 · business · 1935–1955 · business · 1936–1942 · proof · 1950–1955 · proof

Reverse design types (RDT)

See the design types reference. Design types identify engraved designs; when differing designs create collectible alternatives within a year, see Lincoln cent design varieties.

Mint mark types Punch styles used on 1943 Lincoln cents

See the mint mark types reference.

Typical values Series price guide for regular-issue 1943 cents

1943 Lincoln cents from the CopperCoins series price guide (August/September 2026 edition) — approximate values only, not offers to buy or sell. Business strikes show separate BN, RB, and RD lines where priced.

Business strike

Issue MS63 MS64
1943-P STEEL BN 2 4
1943-D D STEEL BN 310 385
1943-D STEEL BN 2 4
1943-S STEEL BN 4 10
Issue MS63 MS64
1943-P STEEL BN 2 4
1943-D D STEEL BN 310 385
1943-D STEEL BN 2 4
1943-S STEEL BN 4 10
Articles and videos Related reading and watching for 1943

Articles related to 1943 Lincoln cents

Die varieties in the catalog Attributed 1943 dies by mint and variety type

Our attribution catalog for 1943—doubled dies, repunched mint marks, and related varieties documented by die number. This is specialist research beyond regular issue Lincoln cents.

Search all 1943 dies Variety value guide for 1943

Catalogued dies for 1943

Number of assigned dies in the CopperCoins catalog, by mint and variety type. Click a count to search that group.

Mint DO Doubled Die Obverse DR Doubled Die Reverse MM Repunched Mint Mark Total
Philadelphia (P) 40 9 N/A 49
Denver (D) 22 13 27 62
San Francisco (S) 13 5 14 32
All mints 75 27 41 143
Variety plate coin videos Roll-reveal videos that sourced plate coins for 1943 dies

Videos on our YouTube channel that show when the plate coins for these dies were found in CopperCoins roll reveal videos.

See all 34 videos

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