These transitional mint errors are featured in the upcoming January 2025 FUN US Coins Signature® Auction #1380.

Images Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, HA.com


1943 Bronze Cent, AU55 CAC
Noted Transitional Alloy Error
Ex: Donald Partrick

1943 1C Struck on a Bronze Planchet AU55 PCGS. CAC. Ex: Partrick-Whispering Pines. The copper used for coining bronze cents was needed for the manufacture of munitions during World War II, and zinc-coated steel was selected as a replacement. Much experimentation took place before the government arrived at that decision. Patterns dated 1942, featuring a bust from the Columbian two centavos, were struck in various materials; unusual alternatives included plastic, rubber, bakelite, fiber, and glass. Those substances proved unsuitable for circulating coinage, even during a war emergency. Other candidates for the 1943 cent alloy were zinc, manganese, white metal, aluminum, and lead. The pattern cent Judd-2054 was struck in the zinc-coated steel that proved to be the best option.

Each of the three mints then in operation (Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco) produced 1943 cents in great quantities. Altogether, about one billion "steelie" cents -- the only magnetic U.S. coin issue -- were issued during 1943. They quickly became unpopular since the silver color, and a similar diameter, caused them to be accepted as dimes by the unwary. The steel cents also became discolored quickly. Meanwhile, the U.S. military was accumulating a vast quantity of spent copper ammunition cases, negating the need for the new alloy. The zinc-plated steel cent became a one-year experiment when copper returned to the alloy after 1943.

Given the huge mintages of cents during 1943, it is not surprising that a small number of examples would be struck on bronze planchets intended for 1942 cents. Rather than malfeasance on the part of mint employees, the likely theories are: planchets could have been wedged in the trap doors of the bins used to transport them; planchets may have been left over in the feeders; or the bins simply might not have been completely emptied before the transition to the zinc-plated steel cent. In any event, a few bronze cents were struck at each of the three facilities in 1943. In 1944, when the alloy reverted to bronze, again there were some transitional alloy errors, with some coins struck in zinc-plated steel at Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco. The 1944 Philadelphia zinc-plated steel cent is somewhat less rare than the 1943 bronze cent, possibly since zinc-plated steel cent planchets were used by the U.S. Mint to strike 1944 two franc pieces for Belgium.

Given the fame of the 1943 bronze cent, it is curious that none were discovered until March 1947, when sixteen-year-old Don Lutes, Jr. received one in his change from his high school cafeteria. He did not immediately report his find, however. The first to do so was Conrad Ottelin, a Cleveland physician, whose letter to The Numismatist was published in 1947. It was actually Ottelin's son who noticed the unusual 1943 cent while inspecting the family change. Over the years, additional examples were discovered. The search for examples was partially motivated by an unfounded rumor that the Ford Motor Company would exchange a new car for a bronze 1943 cent.

The number of surviving, genuine 1943 bronze cents is unknown, although generally estimated at about 20 coins from the Philadelphia Mint and perhaps six or seven from the San Francisco Mint. A single 1943-D bronze cent is known. PCGS has certified 13 of these Philadelphia Mint pieces in grades from XF45 to MS63 (11/24). Grades assigned include XF45 (1), AU50 (3), AU55 (2), AU58 (1), MS61 (3, one Red and Brown), MS62 (2), and MS63 Red (1, oddly, this coin does not appear in the PCGS Population Report, but its cert number 32839117 still verifies). Any appearance of a 1943 bronze cent at auction is an important event for the advanced Wheat Cent collector.

The present lightly circulated example displays attractive golden-brown color. Lincoln's cheekbone and jaw show slight wear, but ample luster remains, and there are no consequential marks. The overall presentation is most attractive and the high quality within the grade is confirmed by CAC. The 1943 bronze cent is the best known of all transitional alloy mint errors, and this problem-free Choice AU example will undoubtedly be the subject of intense bidding. The 1943 bronze Lincoln cent is listed among the 100 Greatest U.S. Coins. Population: 2 in 55, 5 finer. CAC: 2 in 55, 3 finer (11/24).
Ex: Donald G. Partrick; Central States Signature (Heritage, 4/2021), lot 3068 (as AU55 NGC), realized $240,000.
From The Whispering Pines Collection.

1944 Zinc-Coated Steel Cent, MS64
Rare Transitional Alloy Error
Tied for Finest Known

1944 1C Struck on a Zinc-Coated Steel Planchet MS64 PCGS. Ex: Whispering Pines. The 1943 bronze cent is the most famous transitional alloy mint error in numismatics. Its successor, the 1944 steel cent, is also well-known and undeniably rare. PCGS estimates that only 25 to 30 examples are known. The zinc-coated steel alloy was in official use at the Philadelphia Mint during 1944, used to strike two franc pieces for Belgium (KM-133). This may explain why the 1944 steel cent is more collectible than the 1943 bronze cent, which has an estimate of 10 to 15 survivors.

But whether a given steel planchet was intended for a 1943 Lincoln cent or a 1944 Belgian two franc, it was in the wrong place at the wrong time when struck by 1944 cent dies. The usual explanation is that a few steel cent planchets became lodged in a tote bin trap door, and were freed only when the bin was filled with bronze cent planchets.

NGC has certified only four 1944 steel cents, all in AU grades. PCGS has graded 11 examples, two in AU and eight in Mint State, but none finer than MS64. We can locate only a few prior prices realized at the MS64 level, one of which was a PCGS CAC example that brought $158,625 as lot 4411 in an August 2013 Stack's Bowers sale. When the current coin appeared in our auctions in 2021, it surpassed that price realized, drawing in $180,000.

The present coin and the one Stack's offered are different pieces, and this is also not the PCGS MS64 Bob Simpson specimen. The untoned surfaces are free from noticeable marks. The strike shows only slight blending of impression on Lincoln's jaw and cheekbone. Identifiers include a small gray freckle northeast of the second 4 in the date, and another freckle between the EN in CENT.

The U.S. Mint would also strike a few transitional alloy errors in 1983, as the bronze alloy ceded to its copper-plated zinc successor. But those coins are less celebrated, and less coveted, than their predecessors struck during World War II. The winner of the present lot will possess an unsurpassed example of the rare 1944 zinc-coated steel cent, specifically, the coin that holds the auction record for most valuable 1944 steel cent. It is fitting that this top example should carry the Whispering Pines pedigree.
Ex: Dallas Signature (Heritage, 6/2021), lot 3043, realized $180,000.
From The Whispering Pines Collection.