A very special penny that's worth a lot. Rare 1943 copper penny Ordinarily, a penny would be worth, well a cent. But this particular penny was sold for $204, 000! What makes this penny so unique? It's the year. That year the coins were supposed to be made of steel so they could use the copper for other items such as shell casings. These items were critical to the Military in World War II. There is an estimated 10 to 15 of these 1943 copper pennies still in circulation. How were they made? Well, some copper got into the mints and out came these pennies. In 1943 they weren't really too relevant, but now it's worth more than $200, 000! 1943 steel penny 1943 copper penny This $204, 000 penny was once lunch money in 1947 and belonged to a man named Don Lutes. Don held on to the penny because something told him it was special. He soon found out that there was something special about it. In 1958 a 1943 penny was sold for $40, 000, which today is $300,