Between 1918 and 1942, the cent didn't change much. In 1943, there was another big change to the cent, but it wasn't to its design. Instead, it was because of a lack of copper because of the war. When World War II was going on, the one-cent coin was made of 95% copper and 5% zinc. During the war, the Mint was not allowed to use these metals, so it had to find something else to use instead. After a lot of thought, including looking at plastics, zinc-coated steel was chosen as the best of a small number of materials that could work.
The wartime cent was made possible by a law that Congress passed on December 18, 1942. The law also said that the authority to make the cent would end on December 31, 1946. The base of these coins was low-grade carbon steel. To keep them from rusting, a.005-inch layer of zinc was electrolytically added to each side. The same size was kept, but the standard weight of 48 grains was cut to 42 grains by using a lighter alloy. Production started on February 27, 1943, and by December 31, 1943, 1,093,838,670 one-cent coins had been made at the three Mint locations. Copper that was given to the war effort was enough to make two cruisers, two destroyers, 1,243 flying fortresses, 120 field guns, and 120 howitzers, or 1.25 million shells for our big field guns. Because of the colour of these pennies when they are new, AU, or BU, they are sometimes called "silver pennies."
On January 1, 1944, the Mint was able to switch to a different alloy. The supply came from used shell casings, which, when melted, made a mixture that was similar to the original but had a small amount of tin. It was also brought back to its original weight of 48 grains. You might see a lot of ads for these war pennies.
The last wheat pennies with the "S" mint mark were made in 1955. At the end of that year, the San Francisco mint stopped making cents and dimes with a "S" on them for general use. The nickel, the quarter, and the half dollar were no longer used a year ago. Before "S" mint coins were made available to the public, it would be another 13 years, in 1968.
On the 50th anniversary of the Lincoln cent in 1959, the back was changed to show the Lincoln Memorial, which is how it looks now. As part of the celebrations for Lincoln's 150th birthday on February 12, 1959, the new design was shown for the first time. The winning entry was made by Frank Gasparro, who was the Assistant Engraver at the Philadelphia Mint. It was chosen from a group of 23 models that the engraving staff at the Mint had been asked to submit. Since the cent had been in use for more than 25 years, all that was needed was approval from the Treasury Secretary. The impressive marble Lincoln Memorial in the Nation's Capital is the main design element. The other parts of the design are the legends E PLURIBUS UNUM and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, as well as the denomination. On the right, near the bushes, you can see that Mr. Gasparro's initials, FG, are written.
In 1962, the penny went through another small change. Mint officials decided to take tin out of the Lincoln cent because a stable alloy of 95% copper and 5% zinc costs less to make. This time, though, there wasn't much interest because the change was hard to see, even though the Lincoln cent was now made of brass instead of bronze.
When it was announced in 1964 that dimes, quarters, and half dollars would no longer have a lot of silver in them, there was a severe shortage of coins. Even though Lincoln cents weren't the problem, in 1965, the government decided not to put mint marks on all coins. This went on for two more years, in 1966 and 1967. The idea was that collectors wouldn't be able to buy up all the coins that were needed for circulation. Some coins with dates of 1964 were made in 1965. In 1968, mint marks came back, and the much-loved "S" coin was put back into circulation. But the "S" would only be back for a short time. Unlike earlier "S"-marked cents, which were only made in small numbers, between 1968 and 1974, millions of "S"-marked cents were made. In fact, over three billion "S"-marked cents were made during this time. Yes, that is a "b." Still, it was nice to have something new.
In the 1980s, the price of precious metals was out of control, and copper was no exception. This made the Lincoln cent less valuable in 1982. The material was changed to an alloy of 99.2% zinc and 0.8% copper, which was then plated with pure copper to make a total of 97.5 % zinc and 2.5 % copper.
In my next post, I'll talk about the changes that will be made to our beloved Lincoln Cents in the next few years.
