You probably know that World War II created a shortage of nickel and copper in the US and the mint dealt with that problem by striking zinc-coated steel cents in 1943 (we called them white or lead pennies even though they stuck to a magnet) and struck a silver alloy nickel in late 1941, all of 1942 through 1945. You probably, also, know the '41 silver nickel was the first US coin to carry a "P" (Philadelphia) mint mark. It was put on the reverse side above the dome. All the silver nickels carried the Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco mint marks on them. The mint marks were made larger than any mint mark before. But, did you know the 1944, 1945 and 1946 Lincoln cents, too, were different from previous cents? The general public didn't notice anything different from the regular cents struck before 1943, but the numismatists did, especially those collecting uncirculated specimens. The '44, '45 and '46 cents had an odd color about them. Soon we were told why. After the armed forces of WWII fired all those Howitzers, anti-aircraft guns, tank cannons, and 50 caliber weapons, the shell casings were gathered up, crated and sent back to the USA. They were to be recycled for more ammunition, but it was decided to melt them down and use them to strike the '44, '45 and '46 Lincoln cents. Did you enjoy this bit of trivia? Clinker
there is some serious dispute in the numismatic community over whether the 44-46 cents are really made from shell casings or not.
