1943 Steel Cent Mint Mark Collection

The Lincoln Penny was first minted in 1909 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincolns birth. It was the first circulating coin to feature a real person instead of the allegorical Lady Liberty. The obverse features a remarkable portrait of Lincoln by sculptor Victor D. Brenner. President Theodore Roosevelt personally commissioned Brenner to create the portrait for the coin. The reverse of the coin until 1958 was the legendary wheat ears design. The Lincoln Penny remained virtually unnoticed in American pockets and purses until 1943, when a dramatic change took place. Until 1942, the coin had been made in .950 copper but copper was of vital importance to Americas war effort in World War II. Copper was especially important in the manufacture of the casings for bullets and shells used in battlefields around the world. As a result, the U.S. Mint agreed to stop using copper in 1943. Instead, the Lincoln Penny was struck in steel. This was the coin that helped America win the war! The one-time-only 1943 Steel Penny is a coin that has fascinated collectors ever since. It is the first and only steel coin in history, but because it was made for only one year regular copper coinage resumed in 1944 using copper recycled from used shell casings it has been hard to find any in circulation for over half a century. The coins are silvery colored, so they look different from regular Lincoln Pennies. The 1943 Steel Penny was made at all three U.S. Mints Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco and this collection includes one of each of the three coins. It is a truly complete collection. There are literally no other Steel Pennies! Most of these coins were worn out or damaged in circulation long ago, and the Steel Pennies that were found in circulation were returned to banks and the U.S. Treasury where they were destroyed. The result is that few coins remain for todays collectors. All three coins are carefully hand-selected for exceptional collector quality and are displayed in a custom presentation with a Certificate of Authenticity.