Zinc Coated Steel Cents 1943

The us needed to allocate as much copper as possible for the war effort and this included copper used for minting lincoln cents at the us mint.

Zinc coated steel cents 1943. The 1943 silver colored penny is a wartime coin issue made of steel and coated with zinc. 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. Eventually the mint settled on steel coated with 00025 inches of zinc to prevent the steel from rusting and without tin for the new material to make pennies. 1943 steel cents are u s.

1943 steel cent zinc coated steel blank planchet lincoln cent ngc. Zinc coated steel was used as the substitute metal composition and hence the new silver like coin is known as the wartime steel cent or steel penny. Make offer 1943 steel cent zinc coated steel blank planchet lincoln cent ngc. A few coins however were erroneously made of bronze the metal composition from the.

Pennies in 1943 were supposed to be made of zinc coated steel and those grey colored cents are quite common. According to the american numismatic association the 1943 copper alloy cent is one of the most idealized and potentially one of the most sought after items in american numismatics. If it is a silvery gray color it is probably a steel penny. This unusual looking lincoln wheat cent is unlike any other united states one cent coin.

Its zinc coated steel composition makes this coin resemble a dime more than a typical u s. As the 1943 steel pennies circulated the zinc coating started to turn dark gray and almost black. A regular 1943 steel penny is worth only a few cents. This applies within and even beyond the numismatic realm.

Nearly all circulating pennies at that time were struck in zinc coated steel because copper and nickel were needed for the allied war effort. If it was in circulation long enough the zinc coating completely wore off and the steel underneath would start to show through. In 1943 the penny was made out of zinc plated steel to save copper for the war effort which is why most 1943 pennies are silver colored. There are few vintage coins as widely collected as the 1943 steel penny.

If it looks more like a common brownish penny it may be one of the rare copper 1943 pennies. When exposed to moisture the penny would start to rust. Examine the overall color of the 1943 penny. During world war 2.