1943 Steel Cent

I just got a hold of a set of steel cents in a damaged plastic commemorative type case. I removed them with gloves and the 1943 S looks really shinney, way too clean. I noticed that there was a scratch next to Lincolin's head where it looks like the paint was chipped off to show what looks like a coppery finish under it. Plus next to the s mint mark it looks like it is an S over a larger S. (Double Die?) I am going to try to get a photo tonight but I really didn't think it would be the type of coin that would be conterfited, especially in a SSCA case.
Thanks

 

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Your posting really has me confused.

1. The WW II steel cents had no copper content that could show through surface scratches on the zinc plating.
2. No US coin has ever left the Mint with a painted finish to be chipped at
3. I'm not familiar enough with cent varieties to know whether there is a known '44 with a repunched date s/S, but I do know that repunched mintmarks ("RPM") and double dies ("DDO" or "DDR") are two entirely different errors created by different causes
4. The only numismatic reference I am familiar with for the letters "SSCA" are the descriptor used by PCGS (and possibly other graders) for coins recovered from the wreck of the SS Central America.

That shiny appearance you describe is frequently (but not always) the result of a procedure called "reprocessing", in which steelies are cleaned of any rust and then replated with fresh zinc.

 

I know that they don't have any copper and this one sticks to the magnet. I kinda figured that the mint didn't paint anything. I googled SSCA and the address on the paper with the coins and got this: http://www.newyork.bbb.org/reports/businessreports.aspx?pid=44&id=34491
There were 4 cents in the case and it looks much shinnier than the rest. I was not aware that you could reprocess steel cents. I will go home tonight and try to get some good photos. I was just trying to fill up my coin album.
Thanks

 

From all of the information I've ever read about lincoln cents, I've never heard of one in a commemorative case much less have a small "s" stamped over a larger "S". I agree entirely with what satootoko said, that description is very confusing. I would like to see a picture of that.

 

Well, SSCA is a new one on me, but apparently it is a business name used by the Morgan Mint, which I have always considered to be just a tiny cut above the infamous National Collectors Mint, in the business of creating psuedo collectibles. I wasn't aware that they had a division assembling artificial sets of real coins and slabbing them, but there they are. :whistle:

Pretty shocking to find out that I'm not all-knowing.

 

Here is a scan, it is dark and the coin is very shinny but you can see the scratch/mark next to the face. I will include a copy of thing it came in.

 

Here is the paper that came with it.

 

Here it is again. sorry missed it on the last one.
This is like the one I have:http://cgi.ebay.com/1943-S-DOUBLED-...goryZ524QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Hi kdi68,
In Charles Daughtrey book looking through Lincoln cents on page#152 it shows a picture of your coin.It is
abraded die doubling and is most common on the 4 of the date and the mint mark on 1943 and it is quite common. If you would like to learn more about Lincoln cent error and die varietys go here

 

The "scratch" next to his forehead looks like there was a small piece of debris on the coin when it was replated and the result was a place that is unplated now that that piece of debris has fallen off of the coin. The Morgan Mint (and SSCA by extension) are know to reprocess steel cents and then package them for sale to the unknowedgable.

 

Thanks for the site info, hopefully after some photos they will be able to tell me, I suspect it is a double die but it has been cleaned/recoated.

 

Here are a few picts.

 

Your welcome glad I could help.