The New Home

Caldwell acknowledged that he was prepared to pay more for the penny. He mentioned that this coin is something that every coin collector is aware of. “It’s a piece that’s very important in numismatics”. He plans to sell the prized penny eventually but first, he will showcase it at various coin shows he will attend. 

Coming Back Home

Tom Caldwell founded the Northeast numismatics over 50 years ago. Just like Don Lutes Jr., Tom Caldwell was also brought up in Massachusetts. So Caldwell ended up bringing the coin back to where it has been for over seventy years. Caldwell plans on showcasing the coin at conventions and coin shows all around the country but it will stay in Massachusetts. 

Holy Grail

The 1943 copper penny was considered to be the ‘Holy Grail’ of mint errors. Despite conducting a fierce search by different collectors, only a handful of legitimate specimens have been discovered. Which is why the penny was sold for 2.4 million dollars surpassing its pre-sale estimate of 1.7 million dollars. 

The Denial From Mint

According to the website of Heritage Auctions, “Stories appeared in newspapers, comic books and magazines and a number of fake copper-plated steel cents were passed off as fabulous rarities to unsuspecting purchasers. Despite the mounting number of reported finds, the Mint steadfastly denied any copper specimens that had been struck in 1943.”

Preceding Sales

A 1943 copper coin was first put up for sale back in 1958, where the highest biding was for forty thousand dollars. In 1981, a consecutive piece was sold for ten thousand dollars at an ANA convention. This was followed by another sale in 1996 for 82,500 dollars.

New Findings

Over the years, quite a number of 1943 Lincoln copper coins have been found in various parts of the United States. Researches discovered about 10-15 of them in a mint in Philadelphia. On the other side of the country, at a mint in San Francisco, researchers found half a dozen coins. And lastly, researchers found one remaining coin in a Denver mint.