1943 steel cent

U.S. currency United States Cent $0.01 U.S. dollars 2.702 19.05 1.55 Plain 99% steel with a thin layer of zinc 1943 - NNC-US-1943-1C-Lincoln Cent (wheat, zinc-coated steel).jpg 475 235 235 3 3 center Abraham Lincoln Victor D. Brenner 1909 NNC-US-1943-1C-Lincoln Cent (wheat, zinc-coated steel).jpg 475 235 235 3 238 center Wheat Heads in memoria Victor D. Brenner 1909 1943 steel cents are U.S. one-cent coins that were struck in steel due to wartime shortages of copper. The Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco mints each produced these 1943 Lincoln cents. The unique composition of the coin (low-grade steel coated with zinc, instead of the previously 95%-copper-based bronze composition) has led to various nicknames, such as wartime cent, steel war penny, zinc cent and steelie. The 1943 steel cent features the same Victor David Brenner design for the Lincoln cent which had been in use since 1909. History 1942 experimental cents Due to wartime needs of copper for use in ammunition and other military equipment during World War II, the United States Mint researched various ways to limit dependence and meet conservation goals on copper usage. After trying out several substitutes (ranging from other metals to plastics) to replace the then-standard bronze alloy, the one-cent coin was minted in zinc-coated steel. This alloy caused the new coins to be magnetic and 13% lighter. They were struck at all three mints: Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco. As with the bronze cents, coins from the latter two sites have respectively "D" and "S" mintmarks below the date. However, problems began to arise from the mintage. Freshly minted, they were often mistaken for dimes, leading to identification issues among individuals with poor vision. Magnets in vending machines (which took copper cents) placed to pick up steel slugs also picked up the legitimate steel cents. And then rust became an issue: While the steel sheets from which the new penny blanks were punched were galvanized, the process of punching the blanks cut through the zinc layer, leaving the edges of the coins unprotected. Simply carrying a steel penny in one's pocket while perspiring on a hot day often led to quick rusting.The History of the 1943 Steel Cent https://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/33970/hobbies/the_history_of_the_1943_steel_cent.html www.streetdirectory.com 2025-11-30 After public outcry, the Mint developed a process whereby salvaged brass shell casings were augmented with pure copper to produce an alloy close to the 1941–42 composition. This was used for cents dated 1944 through 1946, after which the prewar composition was resumed. Although they continued to circulate into the 1960s, the mint collected large numbers of the 1943 cents and destroyed them. The steel cent is the only regular-issue United States coin that can be picked up with a magnet. The steel cent was also the only coin issued by the United States for circulation that does not contain any copper. (Even U.S. gold coins at various times contained from slightly over 2% copper to an eventual standard 10% copper to increase resistance to wear by making the pure gold coins slightly harder). Related variations 1943 copper cent thumb|left|1943 copper cent Far ahead of the 1955 doubled die cent in rarity, the 1943 copper cent is one of the notable rarities of the Lincoln cent series. An estimated 40 examples are believed to have been struck, with 13 confirmed to exist. The error occurred when copper planchets were left in the press hopper and press machines during the changeover from copper to steel blanks. Examples were discovered after the War, with the first two in 1947, and another in 1958. That example appeared in a 1958 Abe Kosoff gl sale, but was withdrawn prior to the sale; one mint condition Denver Mint specimen sold for over $1.7 million in 2010. Counterfeits Many people have counterfeited the coin by either copper-plating normal 1943 cents (sometimes as novelties with no intent to defraud), or altering cents from the period, usually 1945, 1948, or 1949-dated coins. The copper cents differ from their steel counterparts in four ways: Genuine 1943 copper cents will not be attracted to a magnet. Copper-plated steel cents will exhibit a strong magnetic attraction. Copper cents weigh 3.11 grams. Steel cents weigh 2.702 grams. The numeral 3 in 1943 has the same long tail as the steel cents. Alterations from later-dated copper cents will be noticeable when compared side by side with genuine cents with years ending in 3. The quality of the strike is exceptionally sharp, especially around the rim, because the soft copper planchets were struck with the same (higher) pressure used for the steel cents. 1943 tin cent thumb|1943 tin cent|alt=|left +1943 tin cent composition Tin 86.41% Antimony 8.37% Copper 1.75% Vanadium 1.02% In 2019, NGC authenticated a worn 1943 cent composed of 86.41% tin and 8.37% antimony with other trace metals. The coin was discovered by a coin collector in the state of Oregon, who found it in his father's yard around 1969, and realized it was not attracted to a magnet while searching his coin collection for 1943 copper cents in 2019. The coin is likely an error or was intentionally struck as a pattern in late 1942 using an obverse die intended for the following year, though no documented evidence of a pattern with this composition has been found. The coin was found in a badly damaged state, with two large gashes and a slight bend. Believing it to be a steel cent, the discoverer straightened the coin in a bench vise so that it would fit inside a coin album. The coin weighs 2.702 g.https://www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/1943-lincoln-cent-mostly-tin-and-antimony.html NGC authenticates 1943 Lincoln cent made from mostly tin CoinWorld en 2019-07-06 1944 steel cent left|thumb|1944 steel cent In an error similar to the 1943 cents, a few 1944 cents were struck on steel planchets left over from 1943. Two explanations are given for why this happened. One is that steel planchets were left in the press hopper and press machines from the previous year mixed in with copper planchets. Another explanation credits the error to the production of 25 million Belgian two-franc pieces by the Philadelphia mint after that country's liberation from the Nazis. These coins were of the same composition and the same planchets as the 1943 cents, but they differed slightly in weight. In all, 1944 steel cents are fewer in number than their 1943 copper counterparts, and are even more valuable; one such example minted in San Francisco sold for $373,750 in an August 2008 auction held by Heritage Auctions; this was the highest auction price ever for a Lincoln cent until September 23, 2010, when it was superseded by a 1943-D bronze penny. Cost of mintage Although United States penny is widely known to hold a higher mintage cost than its face value, the United States actually made a large profit on minting steel coins. In 1943, the cost of a gross ton of steel was $34.The History of American Metal Market https://www.amm.com/History.html 2021-09-15 AMM Novelty coins Since many steel cents corroded and became dull soon after entering circulation, some dealers who sold the coins as novelties improved their appearance by "reprocessing" – stripping off the old zinc coating and then replating them with zinc or chrome. These reprocessed coins are sometimes erroneously described as "brilliant uncirculated", or similar terms, by ignorant or unscrupulous online sellers.Herbert Alan Learn the Facts about 1943 Cents http://rrcoins.net/1943-cents/ RR Rare Coins & Currency 18 October 2016 At the same time many more thousands of 1943 steel cents were stripped of their zinc plating and replated. These are known as "reprocessed coins," and since they, too, are alterations, they have little or no collector value. https://web.archive.org/web/20160507092909/http://rrcoins.net/1943-cents 7 May 2016 deadHeadly Susan How Much is the 1943 Chrome-Plated Penny Worth? http://coins.about.com/od/uscoins/f/chrome_penny.htm About.com 18 October 2016 The source of the chrome 1943 cents is that one or more major coin dealers decided to profit from this entire situation sometime in early 1960s. Because even many of the Mint State 1943 pennies had by then lost their shiny zinc finish (due to the exposure of the edges, which began the corrosion process,) there were an abundance of Mint State steel pennies around that were high grade Uncirculated, but that looked like crap. These enterprising coin dealers "restored" them by plating them in chrome and other similar-looking substances, making them look all shiny and new again, and then sold them in sets of one from each Mint. // Unfortunately, coins that have been plated in anything (even gold) outside the mint have no value to serious coin collectors, so these chrome-plated 1943 cents are considered to be "junk" on the coin market. 18 October 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161018233548/http://coins.about.com/od/uscoins/f/chrome_penny.htm deadMcMorrow-Hernandez Joshua 1943 Lincoln Wheat Pennies http://www.coinvalues.com/wheat-pennies/1943 CoinValues.com 18 October 2016 There are also “reprocessed” steel Pennies, which are essentially 1943 steel Pennies that had become corroded (due to the rust-prone nature of their steel core) and later stripped of their original zinc coating, and recoated with a fresh layer of zinc. These are numismatically worthless since they are altered coins. Nevertheless, they are a cost-effective alternative to buying uncirculated 1943 Pennies and are popular in the non-numismatic market.Reprocessed 1943 Steel Lincoln Cents http://www.ebay.com/gds/Reprocessed-1943-Steel-Lincoln-Cents-/10000000216972332/g.html eBay Buying Guides https://web.archive.org/web/20180326142042/http://www.ebay.com/gds/Reprocessed-1943-Steel-Lincoln-Cents-/10000000216972332/g.html March 26, 2018 eBay 18 October 2016 The old saying, "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is," applies in particular to reprocessed 1943 steel Lincoln Cents [1]. The term, reprocessed, refers to 1943 steel pennies that have been 'shined up', i.e., recoated with zinc or chrome [2], cleaned, and/or polished, such that they appear as if they are in mint state [3]. Most reprocessed 1943 Lincoln cents you see for sale on eBay or elsewhere have been coated in chrome, so they look like a brand new chrome bumper. ... If you want to purchase a high-grade, mint state 1943 steel Lincoln cent, I highly recommend buying only coins graded by an eBay-approved professional third-party grading service, such as PCGS, NGC, or ANACS. See also Money Numismatics United States War nickels, 1942–1945 Jefferson nickels produced with 35% silver instead of nickel, due to nickel requirements by the U.S. military Sales tax token References J2081/P2077 USPatterns.com Accessed July 28, 2006. J2051/P2073 USPatterns.com Accessed July 28, 2006. The History of the 1943 Steel Cent Accessed 13 January 2009. Which U.S. Coin Has Absolutely No Copper in it? https://web.archive.org/web/20120707033052/http://coins.about.com/od/uscoins/f/coin_nocopper.htm 2012-07-07 Susan Headley, About.com. Herndon Wayne 1998–2002 See our fabulous (and Rare) 1944 Steel Cent! Wayne Herndon Rare Coins http://www.wayneherndon.com/admin/steel1944.htm 2009-10-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20021010175535/http://www.wayneherndon.com/admin/steel1944.htm 2002-10-10 Metras Mike January 1999 1943 Steel Cent Money Meanderings http://www.worksandwords.com/moneym/steelcnt.htm 2009-10-03 2012-02-19 https://web.archive.org/web/20120219081424/http://www.worksandwords.com/moneym/steelcnt.htm dead 2006 , p. 171 Reynolds Greg August 22, 2008 World War 2 Penny Errors Star at ANA Convention, Part 2: $374k Record Price for a Lincoln Cent CoinLink http://www.coinlink.com/News/us-coins/world-war-2-penny-errors-star-at-ana-convention-part-2-374k-record-price-for-a-lincoln-cent/ August 3, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110226102704/http://www.coinlink.com/News/us-coins/world-war-2-penny-errors-star-at-ana-convention-part-2-374k-record-price-for-a-lincoln-cent/ February 26, 2011 dead September 23, 2010 PCGS-Certified 1943-D Bronze Cent Sold For $1.7 Million PCGS http://www.pcgs.com/News/Pcgs-certified-1943-d-Bronze-Cent-Sold-For-17-Million/ September 23, 2010 Rare penny sold for $1.7 million PCGS http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2010/09/23/Rare-penny-sold-for-17-million/57291285259401/ Steel cent Category:Currencies introduced in 1943 Category:One-cent coins of the United States Category:Cultural history of World War II Category:Abraham Lincoln on United States currency