Coins tend to hide in plain sight—loose change, old jars, forgotten drawers. Most are only worth their face value, but every now and then, one turns out to be worth far more than you’d ever expect. Recently, reports have been circulating about one such penny that could be worth a small fortune.

According to sources like Coin Trackers, the New York Post, KHOU, and Daily Mail UK, a 1943 copper wheat penny in mint condition may be worth more than $85,000 😮

During World War II, the U.S. Mint switched from copper to steel for pennies to conserve metal for the war effort. However, a small number of copper blanks from earlier years accidentally slipped into production. These rare minting errors are now among the most valuable pennies ever discovered.

Experts say that a mint-condition 1943 copper wheat penny can reach values in the $85,000 range, while even examples in lesser condition have sold for around $60,000 on average, according to Coin Trackers.

Coin error specialist Saul Teichman explained to CoinWeek that collector demand plays a major role in the coin’s high value:

“1943 copper cents have a special cachet with collectors. As for market value, the 1943 cents sell for much more than other errors struck around the same time.”

He also noted that while some World War II coin errors are technically rarer, they don’t fetch nearly the same prices because they lack the historical appeal and recognition of the 1943 copper penny.

Before you overlook that old penny, it may be worth taking a closer look—you could be holding something incredibly valuable.

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