did they really do this with steel cents?

i was reading here that the government took all the 1943 steel cents from circulation, and then dumped them in the ocean. is this true? i have never heard this before. i know that the government took them out of circulation, but i thought they just melted them.

 

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i doubt that is a real rumour.. if the govt did want to destroy the coins, they would not dump them in the ocean. I would think they would just melt them or someo ther dastardly deed.....

 

Nope, the government did not "recall" the 1943 steel cents.
They circulated well into the 1960's.
And the government would not dump them in the ocean.

 

Nor did they melt them. You get more scrap steel out of a few junk cars.
That Wikipedia site never ceases to amaze me. You're sister-in-law can post there and anything she says will be accepted as fact. Think about it.

Paul

 

That's absurd. It's true that American-Phillipino pesos were thrown in sea before the Japanese took over so that they will not get hold of the metal hoard.

 

That is ridiculous, lol. Like Paul said, you can't take wikipedia articles as fact. I wonder where whoever wrote that article got that idea?

 

you can't believe everything you read................especially on the web.

 

i changed it. wonder if they'll change it back...

 

on the "discussion" tab on the top of the article, someone brought this up last year. Here's what was asked, and the writer's response:

 

The government did remove the steel cents from circulation starting some time
in the late 1950's. All or most of them would have been melted in steel mills, but
it's possible a shipment was lost at sea though somewhat improbable. Only some
6% of mintage was destroyed.

These coins were unattractive in circulation since many were rusted and this is
probably the reason they were removed. The Chicago FED simply used magnets
as did probably the others. In those days the FED still did most of the work of
providing coin for the country whereas today this work is contracted to the num-
erous counting houses.

 

I do beleive that I read that we dumped a load in the ocean in either Coinage or Coins. It bears more research.

 

I also read where they dumped the steel cents. If memory serves me wright the article that I read said the coins where dumped in San Francisco Bay. But actually the mint started removing the coins from circulation in 1945. About 163 million coins where retrieved, 14.9% of the total minted coins where destroyed. The mint did not reveal the removal of the coins from circulation until 1959 for fear that they be would hoarded.

Lou

 

steel cent

soon steel plated with copper will be replacing current one. it is a matter of time. wait and sett.

 

There were plenty around in the Sixties I got them all the time on my paper route.

the Gov. has dump many things in the ocean like planes ships and helicopters from Nam

 

I look for the cent to become plastic.
For it to be affordable to produce, they will use recycled plastic.
Remember, you heard it here first.

 

What about copper coated platic like maybe lexan or spectra?

 

I thought about that, but I don't know that the process would be cost effective.
Maybe use a type of paint laiden with copper on the plastic ?

 

i personally think the cent will become zinc plated steel.

 

I have my 20 or so 1943 steel cents. That's more than enough for me