Montana Needs to Check Our Piggy Banks for a Coin Worth $300K

Have you ever found yourself walking down the street and finding a random coin on the ground? Chance are we all have. And chances are we pocketed that lost money and claimed it as our own. There is also a good chance that you have reached into your pocket and discovered a coin that you thought may be a rare coin.

Just recently, my son got a liberty dollar as a tip for helping a neighbor. When he brought the dollar home, he immediately jumped on the internet to research how rare the coin was. He was sure that he just received a rare coin worth thousands of dollars. After a short search, he was disappointed to find that his fancy-looking coin was only worth $1.

What if you actually do have a rare coin in your piggy bank?

Somewhere hidden in that old beer stein on your dresser or the ashtray in your truck could be a coin worth $300,000. But it could be like finding a needle in a haystack. Because this rare coin is only a regular old penny.

One cent could land you BIG BUCKS!

Here is what to look for next time you have a pocket full of pennies. Simply look for any penny that was minted in 1943.

What makes a penny from 1943 so rare and so valuable? It is because 1943 was when the American World War Two war effort was in full swing. In 1943, pennies were minted with steel instead of copper. Copper was needed for the war and a majority of that copper probably came out of the ground here in Montana.

There was a mistake when minting the 1943 pennies. Some pennies were accidentally minted using copper instead of steel. Which makes them extremely rare. So rare that coin collectors are offering top dollar for them.

How do you find a $300,000 penny?

If you find a penny from 1943, simply hold the penny to a magnet. If it sticks, it is a steel penny. You can also weigh the penny on a kitchen scale. If it weighs 3 grams, then it is a copper penny.

Beware of fakes, as some people have been known to take 1948 copper pennies and make them appear to have a date of 1943. A sure sign that you penny is not a fake is when you see that the "3" is slightly lower than the "4."

If everything looks right, then you may have just landed yourself an early retirement. So it's time to bust open those piggy banks.