What Is a 1944 Copper Penny’s Value?
A 1944 copper wheat penny with an “S” mark stamped under the year has an average value of approximately 15 cents, but it may be worth as much as $8 if it is in mint condition. A 1944 copper wheat penny with a “D” mark also has an average value of 15 cents, but it is only worth up to $6 in mint condition.
The 1944 steel wheat penny is worth between $75,000 and $110,000, depending on its condition, while the 1943 copper wheat penny is worth between $150,000 and $200,000. The high numismatic values of these coins are the result of their extreme rarity; both coins are the result of printing errors, and thus very few examples exist of either. For instance, the mint only struck 40 1943 copper wheat pennies.
Due to the high auction values for these coins, there are a great number of counterfeits on the market. Counterfeiters typically make these fake wheat pennies by defacing or zinc-plating 1944 copper wheat pennies. A real 1943 copper penny has an elongated tail on the “3,” while a true 1944 steel penny is magnetic and weighs 1/2 gram more than a copper penny of the same year.
