1943 copper LINCOLN Cent 0

[bgs9man]

Is there an easy way to determine whether or not my 1943 Lincoln cent is really copper or a counterfeit?

[Zach G]

Yes, the first way is to look at the 3 it should hang lower than the 4 as seen in one of my steel pennies I attached, a lot of counterfeit 1943’s do not match with this 3.

The best way however, is to use the magnet test:

hold a relatively strong magnet against the coin, if the magnet attaches to it then it is a copper plated steel penny and is not genuine, however if the magnet does not stick to it then it is most likely copper. To be sure that it is made of copper and not another metal weight the coin on a gram scale, it should be close to 3.1 grams. 

If it appears to be genuine I would take it directly to a coin expert either PCGS or NGC to get it officially certified.

   ,hope this helps