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The penny, also known as the cent, is a coin in the United States representing one-hundredth of a dollar.It has been the lowest face-value physical unit of U.S. currency since the abolition of the half-cent in 1857 (the abstract mill, which has never been minted, equal to a tenth of a cent, continues to see limited use in the fields of taxation and finance).
In 1982, the US Mint began minting pennies coated in copper but containing primarily zinc. Zinc pennies pose a risk of zinc toxicosis, which can be fatal. One reported case of chronic ingestion of 425 pennies (over 1 kg of zinc) resulted in death due to gastrointestinal bacterial and fungal sepsis.
The mint struck pattern coins in various metals, using the obverse design of the Colombian two centavo coin. [1] Dies were sent to various companies to test possible non-metal compositions. Patterns were also struck with modified rim Lincoln cent dies. [2] One of the compositions tested, zinc-coated steel, was chosen for the 1943 cent. [3]
1944-D Lincoln Penny on a Zinc-Coated Steel Planchet. The 1944-D Lincoln penny is also referred to as steel pennies or silver pennies. In 1944, pennies were supposed to transition from steal back ...
Most pennies minted since mid-1982 are struck on planchets made up of a solid zinc core with only a trace of copper. ... the first 1983 Lincoln bronze penny to be discovered sold for $23,500 at ...
Only five of these coins are known to exist and the last one sold did so for $3.1 million. 1870-S Seated Liberty Dollar – Last sold for $1.3 million in 2008, this coin has no official record of ...
The unique composition of the coin (low-grade steel coated with zinc, instead of the previously 95%-copper-based bronze composition) has led to various nicknames, such as wartime cent, steel war penny, zinc cent and steelie. The 1943 steel cent features the same Victor David Brenner design for the Lincoln cent which had been in use since 1909.
Invest a few minutes and find out some little-known facts about making cents, the scarce $2 bill, and the money behind the "Wizard of Oz."