
The Steel Penny
Many collectors start their collections by obtaining a steel penny. (It is also one of few vintage coins very widely collected).Steel pennies are steel because they were minted in the middle of World War 2, which in that time they needed the nickel from the Jefferson nickels and the copper of which the pennies were made out of. They were minted in Philadelphia,(Pennsylvania) San Francisco (California) and Denver(Colorado). The steel pennies have many names, such as steel war penny and steelie. At coin stores, they are usually priced from 10 to 50 cents. The coins are about 99 percent steel with a small amount of zinc, which is also in our present pennies. ERRORS There are also some error steel pennies that were made in 1944 which are very rare and very expensive. The average price for a 1944 steel penny is in the range of 75,000 dollars to 110,000 but prices will vary depending on the condition and the vendor.Not only has there been errors for the 1944 penny but also for the 1943 penny. Some have a mark S (San Francisco) but also a D (Denver)! Another error coin that is a 1943 copper penny is on that was minted with the obverse of a Lincoln cent but also a 1943 Cuban penny which both images could be seen and sold for $38,187.50 in November 2013.The last error I will mention is a 1943 steel penny that has a die crack next to the left ear of wheat. It was found in a collectors Wheat Penny roll which did not list the price but pretty cool and scarce. These are also, like any error coin they are very rare and expensive. There has never been a official record marking any creation of copper 1943 penny which was accidentally placed on a copper planchet. FUN FACTS 1. More than 1 billion 1943 steel pennies meaning that they are not rare. 2. A steel penny weighs 2.70 grams, .51 less than a copper penny. 3. Steel pennies will stick to a magnet. If not then it is a possible error Wheat Penny. 4.Not only are 1943 copper cents rare, so are tin 1943 cents! Either it was an error or was intentionally struck in late 1942. 5. Bob R. Simpson , Co-chairman of the Texas Rangers baseball team, paid 1 million dollars for the most fine 1943 s Wheat Penny in known circulation , which was struck on a copper planchet in 1943. 6.The diameter of the Wheat Penny is 19.05 millimeters and the thickness 1.55 millimeters. The edge is plain and the designer is Victor D. Brenner whose design lasted from 1909 to 1958 and the reverse is Wheat heads in memoria and the observe is Abraham Lincoln.