By Charles Morgan for CoinWeek ….
On September 21, 2025, a Superb Gem MS68 1943 Lincoln Steel Cent will be featured in GreatCollections’ weekly online auction. This coin has numerous exceptional qualities: it has a fresh appearance, only the faintest weakness in the “PL” of “PLURIBUS,” no spots, and is free of any obvious flaws—apart from a stray contact mark here or there—that would prevent it from being a part of a serious registry set.
What makes this particular coin even more unusual and attention-grabbing for collectors, especially those familiar with sports cards, is its NGC label, which features a cutting from a Mint canvas bag. These bags were used by the U.S. Mint to transport large quantities of coins through the banking system. While most of these bags are from the mid to late 20th century, the Treasury Department also used them to “sell” bulk quantities of Morgan Dollars into the early 1960s.
The use of canvas bag cuttings on coin labels is a novel idea. So far, we’ve seen them on labels for Lincoln Cents, Jefferson Nickels, Walking Liberty Halves, and Morgan Dollars, and it is likely they are available for other coin types as well.
Will this type of label bring the same kind of premium that we see with signed labels? That depends. The value of a MS68 1943 Lincoln Cent is already significantly higher than a coin graded MS67+. While the canvas bag cutting is a nice value-added feature that may make the coin more appealing to collectors, it’s important to remember that signature labels are typically found on modern coins. These modern coins often trade as commodities, even in the “perfect” grade of MS70.
The coin offered by GreatCollections is one of only 147 graded MS68 by NGC, with only seven examples certified as finer. Regardless of the bag cutting, this is a top-tier coin that is expected to achieve a premium price.
At the time of publication, the highest bid is $700. Bidding ends on September 21, 2025, at 4:21 PM Pacific Time.
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GreatCollections has offered high-quality examples of thousands of Lincoln Cents over the years, including many top population pieces. To search through GreatCollection’s archive of over 600,000 certified coins and notes that the company has sold, please visit the GreatCollections Auction Archives.
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quite a beauty but out of my price range
These steel pennies have always caught my attention since I was a small boy in thhe 50’s and saved them. Of course being a small boy, I would polish them to make SHINEY!!! OOOPS!!
Wish I had one of these
TY
Nice!