Check Your Change, New York! You May Have a $300,000 Penny

Back when I was a kid, pennies meant something. Sure, they still have the value...of a penny...but we could buy candy for a penny or maybe something a bit larger for five pennies.

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Now, pennies seem to be nothing but dead weight to most people. Of course, businesses always need pennies for change along with nickels, dimes, and quarters.

At home, I have a water jug that I throw pennies into. I've been doing that for a couple of decades. I probably should find out how much money I have in there! And I have an old coffee jar that my Dad saved pennies in. I think some are Lincoln Wheat Pennies. Again, I should probably check and see if any are worth more than one cent.

Will pennies ever go out of style? According to the website Coins For Sale,  United States Mint has no plans of discontinuing the penny. But there have been talks about eliminating the penny.

When paying cash for a product, if what is owed comes a dollar and change amount, my wife and I prefer to give exact change, so for us, the penny comes in handy.

And who knows, you may have a penny that is worth a lot more than a penny. A TikTok video from The Coin Channel was investigating a 1943 copper penny they found in a storage unit that, if it meets certain qualifications, could be worth at least $300,000. The video explains exactly what to look for is you have a penny from 1943.

Most 1943 pennies are steel, because according to Govmint.com, they were only made that year because of a copper. One of the telltale signs of a steel versus a copper penny is that a steel penny will stick to a magnet, A copper penny will not.

Go check your pennies. You never know unless you check, you could have a rare coin in your pocket. The US Mint To find out about coin experts in your area, The US Mint suggests you call the American Numismatic Association at (719) 632–2646.