Shell Case Cents 1944-1945

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When it comes to certain topics, even a YN can be an expert

 

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Best I could do with pics tonight. :thumb:

 

You don't fall into desertgem's classification; however.

 

What a thrill for me...to not only have learned that what I showed in the OP is (almost certainly) real and more than a simple scam, but to have stirred the CT Gurus into sonorous debate!

Thank you all for a most pleasant and edifying experience.

 

Dr. Sol Taylor author of The Standard Guide to the Lincoln Cent wrote an article which can be found at this address http://www.scvhistory.com/scvhistory/signal/coins/sg070905-coins.htm which details the production of cents struck from recycled shell cases. For many decades the Red Book listed only 1944 and 1945 as the only years the these cents were produced and only just recently the Red Book lists 1944 to 1946 which in my humble opinion is a typographical error since Mint records state that in 1946 the Mint resumed the pre 1943 composition.

 

I think some are making a presumption that 'shell casing' only means fired small arms casings of the .45 acp or 30-06 type. I think it is important to remember that in WW2 a lot of artillery of many sizes used brass shell casings for the cannon shells (i.e. fixed ammunition). Anti aircraft fire training ranges would have generated a lot of 40mm and 20mm casings. So would the tank gunnery ranges with everything from 37 mm to 105mm. Also those places in Arizona, Florida and elsewhere that specialized in training aircraft gunners on use of the ball and window mounted .30 and .50 machineguns. I believe just about all the cannon up to 105mm in that time period used fixed ammunition (i.e., with a shell case) vs. a propellant bag. Ever see a shell casing from a 75mm tank cannon? You could make 100s of pennys from just one of those.

 

I would base the analysis not on mint records or other documentation (given the inconsistencies/contradictions/confusion) but on examination of cents that were minted during the WW2/post-WW2 era. Based on the "shellcase" toning patterns on Cents I own or have examined, I'd say the use of shell casings was:

1944: very limited, but with some evidence of use
1945: extensive, especially on S-mint coins
1946: limited, mostly present on S-mint coins

I don't know why 1944 seemed to have less use than 1945, but it may be that either the shell casings were only used later in the year, or perhaps a better job was done in removing the impurities, or some other reason.

I also don't know why in 1945 and 1946 more S-mint coins seem to show shellcase toning than P or D. Did all the planchets come from a single source under contract, or were the contracts for each mint separate and/or from multiple sources?

One thing is for sure, there are coins from 1944 through 1946 that show the toning caused by sulfuric impurities in the brass/bronze mix, so I would conclude based on the evidence (not documentation) that shellcases were likely used from at least the end of 1944 through a substantial part of 1946.

 

I was looking at my 1944-46 shell case pennies, and they seem to be very bright and shinning. enjoyed exchanges.