A LINCOLN penny renowned in the collecting world has sold for an astonishing $336,000 at auction due to a highly sought-after minting error.

The 1943 coin, with a face value of just one cent, is a prize piece for collectors - and you may just have one in your pocket change.

A Lincoln penny, renowned in the collecting world, has sold for an astonishing $336,000 at auction due to a highly sought-after minting error.

The 1943 coin, with a face value of just one cent, is a prize piece for collectors - and you may just have one in your pocket change.

One of these rare Lincoln wheat pennies sold for nearly $340,000 through Heritage Auctions in July 2022.

The 1943 bronze Lincoln cent, graded About Uncirculated 50 by PCGS, raked in such a hefty chunk of change because it features a "legendary" error.

"The 1943 bronze Lincoln cent is probably the most famous and sought-after error coin of all time," reads the Heritage Auction description.

Copper was used to make bronze pennies since 1864, but the US Mint stopped using it during World War II when the metal was needed to manufacture military weapons and ammunition.

The US Mint then shifted to using zinc-coated steel planchets for all Lincoln cents to save copper for the war effort.

What is the Lincoln wheat cent?

The Lincoln wheat cent, also known as the wheat penny, is a one-cent coin minted in the US between 1909 and 1958.

The one-cent coin was first minted in honor of Abraham Lincoln's birthday and designed by Victor David Brenner to replace the traditional Lady Liberty design.

The first circulating US coin to depict a president's image, the Lincoln wheat penny features Lincoln's portrait on the obverse and wheat stalks symbolizing prosperity and unity etched on the reverse.

After 1958, the penny's design was switched to feature the Lincoln Memorial on the back.

However, a handful of the old bronze planchets stuck in the tote bins used to feed the coin presses were accidentally struck in 1943.

These coins, minted alongside millions of steel planchets, created the mysterious wrong-planchet rarity.

The error became the talk of the town overnight in the late 1940s when false rumors spread across the US that business mogul Henry Ford would give a new car to anyone able to find a 1943 "copper" cent for him.

When a handful of the rare Lincoln wheat pennies were seen circulating in 1947, numerous ads and stories in magazines and comic books inspired by them began popping up in the 1950s and 60s.

The 1943 bronze Lincoln cent has continued to capture the public's fascination over the years and has consistently brought in jaw-dropping prices at auction.

Roughly 30 to 40 genuine 1943 bronze Lincoln cents exist, according to estimates.

The 1943 bronze Lincoln cent is a highly prized variety among coin collectors.

Bronze pennies were used in the US from 1864 until 1943, when the copper was needed to manufacture military weapons and ammunition during World War II.

The US Mint then shifted to using zinc-coated steel planchets for all Lincoln cents to save copper for the war effort.

However, a few of the old bronze planchets stuck in the tote bins used to feed the coin presses were accidentally struck in 1943.

These coins, minted alongside millions of steel planchets, created the mysterious wrong-planchet rarity.

The error became the talk of the town overnight in the late 1940s when false rumors spread across the US that business mogul Henry Ford would give a new car to anyone able to find a 1943 "copper" cent for him.

When a handful of the rare Lincoln wheat pennies were seen circulating in 1947, numerous ads and stories in magazines and comic books inspired by them began popping up in the 1950s and 60s.

The 1943 bronze Lincoln cent has continued to capture the public's fascination over the years and has consistently brought in jaw-dropping prices at auction.

According to estimates, roughly 30 to 40 genuine 1943 bronze Lincoln cents exist.

The 1943 bronze Lincoln cent is probably the most famous and sought-after error coin of all time.

Copper was used to make bronze pennies in the United States from 1864 until 1943, when the copper was needed to manufacture military weapons and ammunition during World War II.

The U.S. Mint then shifted to using zinc-coated steel planchets for all Lincoln cents to save copper for the war effort.

However, a few of the old bronze planchets stuck in the tote bins used to feed the coin presses were accidentally struck in 1