1943 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1943

To save copper for the war effort, cents were struck in zinc-coated steel. A handful of bronze planchets left in the presses produced the famous 1943 copper cents.

How many coins were made in 1943

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 2,023,898,270 coins dated 1943 across 15 issues. That is 24% more than in 1942 (1,630,501,000). In 1944 the figure rose to 2,843,556,800.

No earlier year on our list comes close: it was the largest output up to that point.

By mint: Philadelphia 1,300,393,670 (64%, up from 1,120,782,000), San Francisco 391,160,000 (19%, up from 199,882,000) and Denver 332,344,600 (16%, up from 309,837,000).

Those coins held about 98,487,261 troy ounces of pure silver.

1943 coins by denomination

Cents: 1,093,838,670 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Lincoln Wheat Cent, up 15% on 1942. The scarcest is the 1943-S (191,550,000) and the most plentiful the 1943 (684,628,670).

Nickels: 390,519,000 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Jefferson Nickel, up 153% on 1942. The scarcest is the 1943-D (15,294,000) and the most plentiful the 1943-P (271,165,000).

Dimes: 324,059,000 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Mercury Dime, up 2.7% on 1942. The scarcest is the 1943-S (60,400,000) and the most plentiful the 1943 (191,710,000).

Quarters: 137,495,600 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Washington Quarter, down 1.1% on 1942. The scarcest is the 1943-D (16,095,600) and the most plentiful the 1943 (99,700,000).

Half Dollars: 77,986,000 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Walking Liberty Half Dollar, up 9.1% on 1942. The scarcest is the 1943-D (11,346,000) and the most plentiful the 1943 (53,190,000).

Every 1943 circulation issue at a glance

• 1943-D Walking Liberty Half Dollar: 11,346,000 struck, more than 84% of the series' 65 issues, similar to 1942.
• 1943-S Walking Liberty Half Dollar: 13,450,000 struck, more than 92% of the series' 65 issues, similar to 1942.
• 1943-D Jefferson Nickel: 15,294,000 struck, 13th lowest of 146 in the series, similar to 1942.
• 1943-D Washington Quarter: 16,095,600 struck, 35th lowest of 144 in the series, similar to 1942.
• 1943-S Washington Quarter: 21,700,000 struck, 45th lowest of 144 in the series, similar to 1942.
• 1943 Walking Liberty Half Dollar: 53,190,000 struck, the highest mintage of the series, similar to 1942.
• 1943-S Mercury Dime: 60,400,000 struck, more than 86% of the series' 77 issues, similar to 1942.
• 1943-D Mercury Dime: 71,949,000 struck, more than 92% of the series' 77 issues, similar to 1942.
• 1943 Washington Quarter: 99,700,000 struck, more than 53% of the series' 144 issues, similar to 1942.
• 1943-S Jefferson Nickel: 104,060,000 struck, 55th lowest of 146 in the series, up from 32,900,000 in 1942.
• 1943-S Lincoln Wheat Cent: 191,550,000 struck, more than 70% of the series' 140 issues, up from 85,590,000 in 1942.
• 1943 Mercury Dime: 191,710,000 struck, more than 97% of the series' 77 issues, similar to 1942.

The 3 more plentiful issues are listed in the tables below.

Lincoln Wheat Cent: Steel cents and shell case brass

Copper was needed for the war effort, so in 1943 the Mint struck cents on zinc coated steel. They are lighter at 2.70 grams, stick to a magnet and were often confused with dimes. The zinc coating wore quickly and the steel rusted, so most survivors are dull gray or spotted. A few bronze cents dated 1943 were struck by mistake on leftover planchets and rank among the most famous errors, though most offered are plated or altered fakes.

In 1944 the Mint returned to a copper alloy made partly from melted cartridge cases, which gives these coins a slightly different shade. A few 1944 cents were struck on steel planchets by mistake. Denver made the 1944-D/S overmintmark. The 1943-D has a repunched D variety. Production stayed very high through 1946, so common dates from these years are easy to find, often with bright red color.

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Jefferson Nickel: Wartime silver nickels

Nickel was needed for the war, so in late 1942 the Mint switched to an alloy of 56 percent copper, 35 percent silver and 9 percent manganese. To show the change, a large mint mark was placed above Monticello. For the first time Philadelphia used a P. Early 1942 nickels in the old alloy have the mint mark to the right of the building.

The 1943/2-P overdate and the 1943-P doubled eye variety are popular. Many silver nickels were pulled from circulation and melted in later decades when silver rose, but they remain easy to find. Counterfeits dated 1944 without a mint mark were made by Francis Henning, so any 1944 nickel without a P, D or S above the dome is fake. Survivors often show dark or uneven toning from the manganese. Fully struck steps are scarce on several dates.

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Washington Quarter: Wartime quarters in record numbers

World War II brought full employment and heavy coin demand. Philadelphia's output jumped from 35.7 million in 1940 to 79 million in 1941 and passed 100 million in 1942 and 1944, while Denver and San Francisco struck between about 12 and 21.7 million each year. Unlike the nickel, the quarter kept its 90 percent silver composition throughout the war.

Doubled die obverses are known for the 1942-D and 1943-S. A 1943 Philadelphia doubled die also exists. Proof quarters ended after 1942 and did not return until 1950. Most wartime quarters circulated hard and now turn up in silver lots with moderate wear. Uncirculated rolls were saved in quantity, so even the branch mint dates of these years are available in mint state.

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Walking Liberty Half Dollar: The short set of wartime halves

Wartime demand pushed Philadelphia mintages to 47.8 million in 1942 and 53.2 million in 1943. Denver and San Francisco each struck around 8 to 13 million a year during the war. Because coins from 1941 to 1947 are common in high grades, many collectors assemble them as a short set rather than chasing the full series.

Some 1941 proofs lack Weinman's AW monogram because the die was polished too heavily. The 1946 doubled die reverse shows strong doubling in E PLURIBUS UNUM and in the eagle's feathers. Proofs ended after 1942. Production fell to about 4 million each at Philadelphia and Denver in 1947, the last year before the Franklin half. San Francisco made no halves that year. Silver remained at 90 percent throughout.

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Mercury Dime: Wartime records, the overdates and the last year

World War II pushed dime production to record levels. Philadelphia struck 205,410,000 in 1942 and 231,410,000 in 1944, the highest mintage of the series. The three mints together made 1,223,928,000 Mercury dimes dated 1942 to 1945. Even the smallest issue of the era, the 1945-D, came to 40,245,000. Unlike the nickel, the dime kept its 90% silver alloy throughout the war.

The famous 1942/1 overdates belong here. One working die at Philadelphia and one at Denver received an impression from a 1941 hub and then another from a 1942 hub, leaving traces of a 1 under the final 2. The Philadelphia coin was found in circulation and reported in 1943. It is the bolder of the two. The Denver version is fainter and was not reported in print until 1960. Both are included in their regular mintages and carry a significant premium. Proof dimes ended with 22,329 struck in 1942 and proof coinage stopped for the rest of the war.

After President Franklin Roosevelt died in April 1945, the Treasury chose the dime for his portrait and the Mercury design ended with the 1945 coins. Two things to check on the late dates: the 1945 Philadelphia dime is very common but rarely found with fully split bands. The 1945-S comes with a normal S or a much smaller Micro S, made with a punch first cut for coins struck for the Philippines.

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