What's Up With These 1943 Lincoln Cents ?

I would just like some feedback on what's going on with these lincoln cents. I bought an album awhile back from 1930 to 1959 and just about every cent was uncirculated. It looked like the person hadn't touched it for years. I sold the album but kept these 1943s.

 

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1943 Lincoln cents were made from steel because of the war. Sorry I don't have much more info. I believe they used steel because they needed copper for bullets?

 

Yeah but there is copper on them. Not sure if it is over the steel or under. It looks like its under the steel. It looks like spray paint over copper. IDK,.

 

It was actually zinc plated steel for 1943 cents, Kinda looks like you are seeing rusty steel where the zinc had worn off.

 

I can only see that it looks like copper on the middle one. I heard (not sure if it's true) that there were a few copper cents made in 1943 because there was still copper left in the machine. Maybe it's some kind of a wonderful error. I'm far from an expert. The ones on the left and right just look dirty to me though.

 

I've got a few rolls of 43's and some are the same as your's. It's just contamination and corrosion:

 

Maybe I should get some better pics. It's shiny. I've got tons of 1943s with corrosion but these are different. The one on the left has copper or some other foreign metal under the eye and on the cheek.

 

The first Linc's got egg on his face. The second one was in a food fight. The third Linc looks like he's been wiped.....

 

I knew that some were made of copper. I'm wondering like Snaps said if it was mixed in. Is anyone able to click on these pics to make them bigger?

 

They may have been copper-plated to pass as a copper coin.

http://www.coinsite.com/content/faq/1943copper.asp

 

Yeah I though about that. Maybe I should chip it to see what comes off.

 

This is a MODERN!! Chip and ye shall get less than the .03 copper cents from prior '81..

Put them up, Steel Cents are cool.. There is nothing special.. they're just a different color..

Any if you don't believe me, I can amass 10k+ in Kennedy Bicentennials if you are interested..

 

No INCARNATE! I shall melt them down and see what happens lol.

 

Just use a magnet. The steel core will hold to the magnet. no need to chip the surface. There were thousands of 1943 steel cents plated with copper until way past the 60s.
Here is a page from Numismatic scrapbook monthly in 1961. Notice you have to send in your own cent so they can't be accused of trying to sell an altered coin. They are just plating your coin as requested

Jim




Jim

 

Blah I figured as much. Couldn't tell if my eyes were tricking me.

 

Maybe ? But my first thought was rust.