Many people will not stop to pick up a penny anymore.  For awhile now pennies have been considered by some to be the most useless coins available.  They are often discarded without so much as a second thought.  (Fountains are full of them usually)

But did you know that there are certain pennies that are far more valuable than others? A good old fashioned copper penny that you can find on the ground outside just might be worth a great deal of money, as certain specific pennies are very highly sought after.

In much the same way that quarters from specific years in the 1970s are worth money to would be collectors, there is a wide range of specific pennies that are worth a small fortune. If you are looking to cash in, be on the lookout for copper pennies with a 1943 stamp.

These pennies have been in circulation since their inception and while they may appear to be a regular coin to the untrained eye, it is not their age that makes them so valuable but the rare printing mistake that took place during their creation.

During this time period, the United States ceased all printing of copper pennies, as this metal was needed during the war efforts. However, a few pennies managed to slip through the printing process and while most pennies from this year were created with the use of stainless steel.

Those who have access to the rare 1943 copper pennies could receive a hefty payday. A 1943 copper penny is worth around $85,000 while the 1943-S bronze penny is worth $1,000,000

In September 2012, Legend Numismatics of Lincroft, New Jersey has announced that collector Bob R. Simpson, co-chairman of the Texas Rangers baseball club, paid $1 million for the finest known 1943-S Lincoln Wheat cent on a bronze planchet. All 1943 Lincoln cents were supposed to be made of steel planchets coated with zinc. However, some bronze planchets left over from 1942 slipped into the production process.

According to a press release, it was successfully acquired by Legend after “determined negotiations” with an East Coast dealer representing the seller who is described only as “a long-time collector,” according to Legend President Laura Sperber. “Mr. Simpson said, ‘It’s a beautiful coin.’ As he held it he reminisced about the 1943 ‘copper’ Lincoln cent he found in change when he was a youngster, but that turned out to be a fake,” said Sperber. The MS62 coin is the finest of four known 1943-S bronze cents, and it is an upgrade to an example graded PCGS AU58 that was in Simpson’s registry set.