1943 Lincoln Cent, Wheat (1909-1958)

Intriguing History

With copper desperately needed for shell casings and wiring after Pearl Harbor, the Mint switched the 1943 Lincoln cent to zinc-coated steel for a single year. The coins looked like dimes and rusted quickly once in circulation, and vending machines across the country reportedly jammed as people mistook the silvery pennies for slugs. A handful of leftover bronze planchets from 1942 were accidentally struck that year too, creating the fabled 1943 bronze cent, one of which later sold at auction for over a million dollars.