1943-S Steel Cent

Over the last few weeks, I have been answering questions about the 1943 Steel Cent. The questions asked about the coin’s authenticity, and people asking where they could purchase one.

Copper was a crucial element in making bullets for the war efforts. With the production of war materials increasing, congress and the U.S. Mint thought that striking the cent using another metal would help. After testing different materials in 1942, the U.S. Mint selected a zinc-coated steel planchet. In 1943, the U.S. Mint produced 1,093,838,670 steel cents between the three mints.

The coins were not well received by the public. Their size and lighter weight caused many people to confuse the steel cent with the dime. The zinc coating would wear as the coin circulated, allowing rust to form on the steel.

With over 1 billion coins struck, there are plenty of opportunities to collect steel cents. At the time, some people saved rolls, and others put the coins aside because they did not like to use them. They can be purchased online or from many dealers.

When looking for steel cents for a collection, look for a coin that continues to show its zinc color. The zinc will be a semi-bright silvery color that does not have a very shiny look. Grey-looking and dark grey coins have been handled and should be less expensive.

Nice examples of Steel Cents are not expensive. With over 680 million struck in Philadelphia, uncirculated examples of those coins cost $2.50 – $3.00. There were over 210 million struck in Denver, uncirculated 1943-D steel cents will sell for $3.25 – $4.00. There were fewer steel cents struck in San Francisco. Over 190 million struck, uncirculated 1943-S coins cost $5.00 – 6.50.

When buying coins for your collection, be careful with coins that look shinier than others. These coins may be reprocessed Steel Cents. Reprocessed steel cents are real coins but have a new coating of polished zinc. While they are pretty coins, numismatists consider these coins damaged and advise not collecting them if you are looking for value.

Rather than continuing to use the steel planchet, the U.S. Mint used copper recovered from the spent shell casing used for ammunition. The shell casing came from the training fields in the United States and not from the battlefields.

In 1944 and 1945, spent ammunition provided the copper used to strike Lincoln Cents. These coins are known as shotgun case cents and are darker than other copper coins because the smelting process could not remove all of the impurities from the ammunition.

There are famous 1943 Lincoln Cents struck on copper planchets, and 1944 cents struck on steel. These are rare coins and not as readily available.

The 1943 Steel Cent is the only circulating coin ever produced by the United States Mint that does not contain copper. Collecting a complete three-coin set adds a historic coin to your collection at an affordable price.

And now the news…

 June 6, 2022
Prague, Czech Republic – A rare ten-ducat coin dating from the 17th century sold for more than 10 million Czech crowns (about €4 million) at an auction held in Prague on Saturday. The ten-ducat coin was minted in Prague during the reign of Frederick the Great in the early 17th century.  → Read more at kafkadesk.org

 June 7, 2022
Hyderabad: Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL) is organising Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations from June 6 to 13 in all its units. As a part of the celebrations, India Government Mint, Hyderabad, is inaugurating the coin museum at Saifabad Mint on June 7.  → Read more at thehansindia.com

 June 7, 2022
Centuries-old shipwrecks complete with gold coin treasure have been discovered off Colombia.  According to officials, Colombian naval officials conducting underwater monitoring of the long-sunken San Jose galleon discovered two other historical shipwrecks nearby.  → Read more at presstv.ir

 June 8, 2022
A SELLER on eBay recently had some luck with his coin collection – selling it for nearly $3,500. The collection featured Lincoln steel pennies that mostly bared the 1943 dates, according to the seller.  → Read more at the-sun.com

 June 10, 2022
The U.S. Mint released the first quarters featuring Wilma Mankiller, who was the first woman named Chief of the Cherokee Nation.  → Read more at poncacitynow.com
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