In 1943, as America poured its copper into bullets, wiring, and weapons, the humble penny was sacrificed to the war effort. The Mint switched to zinc-coated steel, flooding the country with pale gray “steelies.” But a few leftover copper blanks slipped through the machinery by accident. They were struck, released, and spent like any other cent—only these mistakes would one day be worth tens of thousands of dollars, even millions in extraordinary cases.

Today, fewer than two dozen authentic 1943 copper pennies are believed to exist. They surface in dusty jars, inherited collections, or old change piles, transforming an ordinary moment into a life-altering discovery. A magnet, a date, a flash of reddish-brown instead of gray—that’s all it takes to turn suspicion into possibility. With expert authentication, a forgotten penny can become a tangible piece of wartime history and a reminder that extraordinary fortune sometimes hides in the smallest, quietest corners of everyday life.