Perhaps the most familiar coin to the public at large, the Lincoln Cent has been produced since 1909 with the same obverse design. The reverse design has changed over the years, usually to coordinate with anniversaries of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. The metallic composition of the coin has also undergone many changes, usually in response the need or costs of copper.
The composition of the Lincoln Cent when first issued consisted of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc. This predominantly copper composition gave the coins a familiar red color for uncirculated issues, which would eventually tone to reddish brown or brown after the years spent in circulation.
The first composition change took place in 1943. As a response to wartime needs for copper, an act of Congress approved on December 18, 1942 authorized a new composition. The wartime “Steel Cents” were composed primarily of low grade carbon steel base coated with zinc. The coins had a dull gray color, somewhat similar to the silver color of higher denomination circulating coins of the era. During 1943, Mint facilities in Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco produced more than one billion Steel Cents.
In 1944 the mint resumed the standard copper based composition. Notably, for the years 1944 to 1946, the source of the copper was from expended shell casings used during the war and the zinc component was removed. The zinc was restored from 1947 to 1962 before being removed once again to make the new composition 95% copper and 5% zinc.
The one cent coin made its most recent change in 1982 when the copper content was significantly reduced. glass storage jars . The change was prompted by the increased cost of copper. The new composition was zinc coated with steel, which produced a coin similar in appearance, but at a significantly reduced cost. Recently, the composition of the cent has become a topic of debate once again, as the cost of zinc has increased. Will the United States Mint revisit the Steel Cents, or will the denomination be eliminated?
Find more information on the Lincoln Cent series, including mintage information, coin specifications, and background on interesting issues like the 1955 Double Die Lincoln Cent.
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