This a 1943 steel cent that appears to have rusted. But I was wondering how easy they rusted, because it was in a church holder that my grandfather had saved. I've gotten several opinions that conclude it is rust on the cent. I've tested it with a magnet, and it does stick. So is it rust? If more pictures are requested, then I can upload the rest.
Thanks for the info. I've been going through a collection that I've inherited and can't seem to find any major errors. Ever since I've gotten into collecting, I've always checked my change. I've been coming across a few things, but not entirely sure of they are errors. I keep going back and forth about deciding if I should post them or not.
When they made the 1943 cents, they didn't pay a whole lot of attention to quality. The steel was of indifferent quality, and the zinc coating was applied to the strips fed into the coin presses rather than after minting. As a result, the rims of the coin would start to rust with the slightest provocation, and the faces would often soon follow. It is possible to dip away small amounts of surface rust. But since steel cents aren't all that valuable except in the top grades, think about letting it develop some character instead:
