1943-S Wheat Penny Value: Steel Cent and Rare Bronze S

A normal 1943-S wheat penny is a steel cent worth about $1 in circulated condition. The PCGS Price Guide (September 24, 2026) lists $1 in XF40, $11 in MS60, $42 in MS65, $200 in MS67 and $3,750 in MS68. That is slightly more than the Philadelphia coin in MS65 ($30) and MS66 ($45 against $70), because San Francisco made the fewest 1943 cents. The one 1943-S worth a fortune is not steel at all: it is the bronze error, with 5 known.

Those PCGS figures are for certified coins. An uncertified worn 1943-S sells for much less, in the same range as any steel cent; a roll of 50 mixed steel cents was listed at $34.95 by First Coin Company in September 2026.

The S under the date on the front means the San Francisco Mint. In 1943 it struck 191,550,000 cents, against 684,628,670 at Philadelphia (no letter) and 217,660,000 at Denver (D). So the 1943-S is the scarcest steel cent of the year, but 191 million is still a very large number: the S alone does not make a worn coin valuable. CoinValueChecker estimates about 19 million 1943-S cents survive (page updated September 23, 2026).

A few 1943 cents were struck on bronze blanks left over from 1942 instead of steel. PCGS counts 5 from San Francisco and lists them at $175,000 in XF40 up to $1,000,000 in MS63 (September 24, 2026). Recorded sales listed by CoinValueChecker (page updated September 23, 2026):

• March 2026: $456,000, grade 55, Stack's Bowers
• November 2020: $504,000, MS63, Heritage
• August 2019: $216,000, grade 53, Heritage
• January 2018: $228,000, grade 53, Heritage
• February 2016: $282,000, grade 58, Heritage

These sales show that even a circulated bronze 1943-S brings more than $200,000, and that prices have risen since 2019.

Almost every copper-colored 1943-S is a fake or a plated steel cent. Checks in order:

• Magnet. A genuine bronze coin does not stick. A copper-plated steel cent does.
• Weight. Bronze weighs 3.11 g; steel 2.7 g.
• The 3. CoinValueChecker notes the genuine 3 has a long lower tail; a 1948 altered to 1943 has a different digit shape.
• The S. Look closely at the mint mark; any 1943-S that passes the magnet and weight tests should be examined by an expert.

A coin that passes the magnet and weight tests should go to PCGS or NGC; do not clean or polish it. The 1943 penny page covers the Philadelphia and Denver versions and the other fakes.

The only famous 1943-S error is the bronze planchet described above. Beyond it, the PCGS Price Guide lists prooflike (PL) 1943-S cents, early strikes with mirror-like fields, at $125 in MS64 PL and $175 in MS65 PL; they are not errors, but they are scarce, and CoinValueChecker reports only a few certified. Rust spots and a dull gray color are normal wear on steel cents, not errors, and bright, shiny coins that look new are often reprocessed (stripped and replated), which Wikipedia says leaves them with little collector value.

Research and drafting for this page were assisted by AI and checked line by line against the sources listed below. Prices are copied from the named price guide or auction report with its date; where a figure could not be confirmed we say so rather than estimate. If you find an error, tell us and we will correct it.