1943 Steel Cents

The easiest way to tell an original steel cent from a re-processed cent is to look at the edge of the coin.

The originals were zinc coated steel, but only the faces of the coin are coated. The steel shows on the edge of the coin, at times even showing signs of rust. A reprocessed coin has a zinc coating on ALL of its surfaces including the edges. If your coin is the same metal on the edges as the faces, then it has been reprocessed.

 

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by edge do you mean the outer part of the obverse and reverse, or is it the rim (where the cuts usually are on a quarter for handling)?