-40%
1943 P D S *Gem* VG/AU Wheat head Lincoln 3 Penny Set,
$ 5.8
- Description
- Size Guide
Description
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1943 Penny Facts
The 1943 penny is unusual among United States one-cent coins.
It’s
the only regular-issue United States one-cent coin to be minted from steel
(the
1944 steel penny
off-metal error is not considered a regular issue), and it’s therefore one of the most popular coins people collect.
Why was the penny made from steel?
To save copper for World War II ammunitions
. The war years of the 1940s was a
time of rations
. Everything from rubber to sugar was rationed because America needed to send these items to its troops fighting overseas. Copper, like so many other common materials, was one of those items.
Officials with the
United States Mint
had to find a way to replace the copper in the one-cent coin with a low-cost material. Plastic was among the many materials the Mint considered before determining zinc-coated steel to be the choice among its cost-effective options.
The steel cents were a creative solution, but they weren’t without their problems.
Many
people confused the silver-colored pennies for dimes
. Magnets in vending machines designed to weed out counterfeit coins filtered out authentic 1943 steel
wheat pennies
. The steel inside the coin was prone to rusting after exposure to moisture.
These and other issues plagued the 1943 steel cents. After just 1 year, the Mint reverted back to copper — using the metal from
spent copper shell casings
to strike Lincoln pennies from 1944 through 1946.
Numista
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United States
1 Cent "Steel Cent"
Features
Country
United States
Type
Standard circulation coin
Years
1943-1944
Value
1 Cent (0.01 USD)
Currency
Dollar (
1785-date
)
Composition
Zinc clad steel
Weight
2.70 g
Diameter
19 mm
Thickness
1.5 mm
Shape
Round
Orientation
Coin alignment ↑↓
References
KM
# 132a,
Schön
# 130a
Obverse
Profile of President Abraham Lincoln
Lettering:
IN GOD WE TRUST
LIBERTY
1943
S
VDB
Engraver:
Victor David Brenner
Reverse
Two wheat ears
Lettering:
E·PLURIBUS·UNUM
ONE
CENT
UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
Translation:
OUT·OF MANY·ONE
ONE
CENT
UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
Engraver:
Victor David Brenner
Edge
Smooth
© Cyrillius
Mints
United States Mint
, Philadelphia, United States (1792-date)
D
United States Mint
, Denver, United States (1906-date)
S
United States Mint
, San Francisco, United States (1854-date)
Comments
The 1944 zinc coated steel cent is a "Transitional Error" which occurred during the changeover from zinc coated steel back to bronze. The most noticeable variety in this year of steel cents is the 1943-D with the prominent doubled mint-mark.