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Silver Penny: Is There a Real Silver One-Cent Coin?

4 min read · Updated Oct 9, 2026

Is there a silver penny?

No. The Lincoln cent's composition history covers copper alloys, zinc-coated steel in 1943 and copper-plated zinc from 1982. None of these is silver. A silver-looking penny therefore has a different explanation, and its metal, weight and magnet response will tell you which one.

Why is my penny silver?

• 1943 steel cents. During World War II the Mint made cents from zinc-coated steel, which is silver-gray. A normal 1943 Steel is common.
• Copper-nickel cents, 1856 to 1864. Flying Eagle cents (1856 to 1858) and early Indian Head cents (1859 to 1864) were 88% copper and 12% nickel. The alloy contains no silver. A 1859 is one example. See the Flying Eagle and Indian Head pages.
• Plated or altered coins. Dealers have replated worn steel cents with zinc or chrome to make them look shiny. These are later changes made after minting, not original mint issues.
• The 1974 aluminum pattern. It is very light, about 0.94 g, and looks silver. About 1.57 million were struck with a 1974 date in 1973, but none were released. About 12 to 14 may still exist. See 1974 Aluminum (pattern).
• Wrong-metal errors. A cent struck on a dime blank is smaller and thinner than a normal cent, so it can look pale or silver, and its strike can be soft. For other wrong-planchet cases, see the penny errors list.

What is a 1943 silver penny?

Most 1943 cents are zinc-coated steel. They weigh about 2.70 g and stick to a magnet, so they look silver but are steel. For catalogue estimates by grade, see the 1943 penny value page.

A few 1943 cents were struck on leftover bronze blanks. Wikipedia estimates that about 40 were struck and 13 are confirmed. A genuine one weighs about 3.11 g and does not stick to a magnet. These are extremely rare, so any suspected 1943 Bronze (error) needs professional authentication.

Silver penny value: check weight and magnet first

A value estimate depends on the real metal and date, so start with two simple checks. These are the catalogue weights:

• Zinc-coated steel (1943): about 2.70 g. Sticks to a magnet.
• Copper-plated zinc (1982 to date): about 2.50 g. No pull.
• Bronze or brass, 95% copper (most cents from 1909 to 1981, except 1943): about 3.11 g. No pull.
• Copper-nickel (Flying Eagle and early Indian Head): about 4.67 g. No pull.
• 1974 aluminum pattern: about 0.94 g. No pull.

1. Magnet. Bring a magnet close to the coin without dragging it across the surface. A pull points to steel, which means a 1943 steel or a plated steel cent.
2. Weight. Weigh the coin on a scale that reads grams, then repeat the reading. Match the result to the list above.
3. Compare. A coin near 2.70 g that is pulled by a magnet is steel. A coin near 4.67 g with no pull is copper-nickel. Weight alone does not prove authenticity, so use the 1943 magnet test guide for the full steps.

Penny Value is an Android app for now, so it isn't on the App Store. The values and checks on this page are free to use.Penny Value is an Android app. Open this page on your Android phone to check your own penny with a photo.

Coins in this guide

• 1943 Steel

  Philadelphia · 684.6 million made

  7.5¢worn

  $2.00MS-60
• 1943 Bronze (error)

  Philadelphia · A handful known: about a dozen confirmed, and perhaps about 40 struck by mistake.

  ErrorTest first

  Rarely sold
• 1974 Aluminum (pattern)

  Philadelphia · About 1.57 million were struck in 1973 with the 1974 date; the Mint recalled and destroyed them and none were released. Only a handful are thought to survive.

  Pattern

  Rarely sold
• 1859

  Philadelphia · 36.4 million made

  $110worn

  $360MS-60

Related guides

• 1943 pennies: the steel penny, the rare copper one and the magnet test
• 1944 steel penny: the error that sticks to a magnet

Sources

1. Wikipedia, “Penny (United States coin)” (accessed 2026-10-09)
2. Wikipedia, “1943 steel cent” (accessed 2026-10-09)
3. Wikipedia, “1974 aluminum cent” (accessed 2026-10-09)
4. Wikipedia, “Flying Eagle cent” (accessed 2026-10-09)
5. Wikipedia, “Indian Head cent” (accessed 2026-10-09)
6. Coin World, “Cent struck on dime planchet headed to auction” (accessed 2026-10-09)