4 possibilities:
> Plated for use in jewelry or in a high-school chemistry class. No extra value.
> Coated with a metal such as Mercury. No extra value, but poisonous if touched a lot.
> Dipped in acid to remove the copper plating. Again, no extra value.
> Copper plating never put on when the coin was minted. A true error coin that could be quite valuable, but the only way to know is to have it inspected in person by an expert who deals in error coins.
It's easy! Pennies were never made of silver. They would be worth way more than a cent. Steel pennies were made in 1943. So if you have a penny that was minted in 1943 it's not silver but rather steel.
Half of that is easy, and the other half is almost as simple. First, the U.S. never made any silver pennies because they'd be worth more than dimes. Second, the only steel pennies were struck in 1943 when copper was needed for the war effort. A genuine steel cent will stick to a magnet. If you have any other date that's silvery in color, it's almost certainly a normal cent that someone plated.
The 1943 penny was made of steel with a zinc coating [ hence the silver look]. They are steel so they are attraced to a magnet. The value depends on the condition and with no rust showing they sell for about $0.50 to $1 and then more if they are in better condition.AnswerUncirculated examples sell for $1 to $2. In any lower condition a dealer may give 5 or 10 cents. He already has rolls of them that he can't sell. 1943 pennies are made of steel. This is because in 1943, the government needed so much copper to make war materials. Some pennies from 1943 are copper, because the government made a mistake. The copper 1943 pennies are worth about $10,000.
If it's magnetic it could be: A) Plated. Worth only 1 cent B) An off-metal strike made on a blank intended for a foreign coin. Value unknown but certainly a lot more than a penny. You'd need to have it examined in person to determine which.
1943 was the only year cents were minted in steel. If you have a silver-color 1956 cent it's been plated or otherwise altered. That makes it an altered coin worth only face value. But don't shed any tears; even in almost-uncirculated condition an unaltered 1956 cent is worth less than 20 cents.
There is no such thing as a U.S. silver penny.
US pennies have never been made of silver.
The U.S. never minted a silver penny. It would have more than a dime's worth of silver in it. Your coin has been plated.
Yes they are only worth a penny besides in BU-condition they might be worth 25 cents. They are not worth keeping.
about $100
1¢
Yes the 1970 penny is real silver and is worth keeping or even selling
1 cent. It's been plated. All 1959 cents are made of bronze.
U.S. pennies have never contained silver. Your penny is probably silver plated for jewelry or other decorations.
its worth 1 cent.
There is actually no such thing as a 1973 'silver' penny. However, there are some Lincoln pennies from 1973-74 that have a shiny, silver-like look. These pennies are worth about $1.25.
It's made of steel, not silver, and it's worth about 5 cents.