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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;jlblonde, post: 1529188, member: 32000&quot;]<b>Lincoln Zinc coated Steel Cent (from Wikipedia)</b></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH]201163.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]201164.vB[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;Due to wartime needs of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper" rel="nofollow">copper</a> for use in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammunition" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammunition" rel="nofollow">ammunition</a> and other military equipment during <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II" rel="nofollow">World War II</a>, including windings for massive uranium gas separation magnets as part of the Manhattan Project, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Mint" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Mint" rel="nofollow">United States Mint</a> researched various ways to limit dependence and meet conservation goals on copper usage. After trying out several substitutes (ranging from other metals[SUP]<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943_steel_cent#cite_note-USPatterns_P2077-0" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943_steel_cent#cite_note-USPatterns_P2077-0" rel="nofollow">[1]</a>[/SUP] to plastics[SUP]<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943_steel_cent#cite_note-USPatterns_P2073-1" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943_steel_cent#cite_note-USPatterns_P2073-1" rel="nofollow">[2]</a>[/SUP]) to replace the then-standard <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze" rel="nofollow">bronze</a> alloy, the one-cent coin was minted in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc" rel="nofollow">zinc</a>-coated <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel" rel="nofollow">steel</a>. It was struck at all three mints: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia" rel="nofollow">Philadelphia</a>,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver" rel="nofollow">Denver</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco" rel="nofollow">San Francisco</a>. Coins from the latter two sites have respectively &quot;D&quot; and &quot;S&quot; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mintmark" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mintmark" rel="nofollow">mintmarks</a> below the date.</p><p>However, problems began to arise from the mintage. Freshly minted, they were often mistaken for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dime_(United_States_coin)" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dime_(United_States_coin)" rel="nofollow">dimes</a>. Magnets in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vending_machine" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vending_machine" rel="nofollow">vending machines</a>(which took copper cents) placed to pick up steel <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slug_(coin)" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slug_(coin)" rel="nofollow">slugs</a> also picked up the legitimate steel cents. Because the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanization" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanization" rel="nofollow">galvanization</a> process didn&#039;t cover the edges of the coins, sweat would quickly rust the metal. After public outcry, the Mint developed a process whereby salvaged brass shell casings were augmented with pure copper to produce an alloy close to the 1941–42 composition. This was used for 1944–46-dated cents, after which the prewar composition was resumed. Although they continued to circulate in the 1960s, the mint collected large numbers of the 1943 cents and destroyed them.[SUP]<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943_steel_cent#cite_note-Street_Directory.2C_1943_Steel_Cent-2" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943_steel_cent#cite_note-Street_Directory.2C_1943_Steel_Cent-2" rel="nofollow">[3]</a>[/SUP]</p><p>The steel cent is the only regular-issue United States coin that can be picked up with a magnet. The steel cent was also the only coin issued by the United States for circulation that does not contain any copper.[SUP]<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943_steel_cent#cite_note-Headley_about-3" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943_steel_cent#cite_note-Headley_about-3" rel="nofollow">[4]</a>[/SUP] (Even U.S. gold coins at various times contained from slightly over 2% copper to an eventual standard 10% copper).&quot;[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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