Product Details

1943 Lincoln Steel Cent Gem Uncirculated World War II Penny This 1943 Lincoln Steel Cent represents one of the most distinctive changes ever made to a circulating United States coin and is directly connected to the American home front during World War II. In 1943, copper was considered an important wartime material needed for military equipment, communications and other defense applications. To conserve copper, the United States Mint temporarily changed the composition of the Lincoln cent, producing the coins from zinc coated steel instead of the traditional bronze alloy. The resulting Steel Cent has a bright silver colored appearance that immediately distinguishes it from ordinary Lincoln cents. The obverse carries Victor David Brenner's familiar portrait of Abraham Lincoln, while the reverse features the classic Wheat Cent design with two wheat ears surrounding the ONE CENT denomination. Steel cents were produced for circulation for only one year. The experiment presented several practical problems, including the coins being confused with dimes and their steel cores becoming vulnerable to corrosion when the protective zinc coating was damaged. In 1944, the Mint returned to a copper based composition, famously using metal recovered in part from spent wartime shell casings. This example is housed in a CoinHub holder labeled 1943 Gem Uncirculated Steel Cent. Its unusual composition, one year wartime production and connection to World War II make the 1943 Steel Cent one of the most recognizable historic Lincoln cents.