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Week # 19 - Is everyone ready?

Started by Danielle C.,

21 posts in this topic

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Danielle C.

Danielle C.

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What did the U.S. Mint do with the zinc-coated steel cent blanks leftover at the end of 1943?

 

First post that correctly answers the above question wins three free earlybird submissions.

 

Don't forget, we also draw for a runner-up prize from all posts with a correct answer.

 

Good Luck!

 

 

REMINDER: The Numisma-Quest ends/ended on Saturday at midnight EST. Entries after that time will not be valid. See the Trivia Info post for more details.

 

 

When you post your answer, only the administrators can see it. Stop back each Monday. We will make all the posts visible and announce the winners.

 

 

 

 

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Guest

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The majority were mixed with regular shell cased bronze cent blanks in early 1944. Others were used in Philadelphia for executing foriegn coinages.

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Danielle C.

Danielle C.

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The question:

What did the U.S. Mint do with the zinc-coated steel cent blanks leftover at the end of 1943?

 

The answer: They were used to coin two-franc pieces for Belgium.

 

The winner is gmarguli!

Your prize is three free earlybird submissions.

 

The winner of the drawing from all the remaining contestants who answered correctly..... is tjennings

 

Your prize is a NGC display box which holds 20 encapsulated coins.

 

Congrats to our winners.

 

Thanks to all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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chrisfuccione

chrisfuccione

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Danielle´: where did you get that info from? I got mine from a piece that Alan Herbert did in Numismatic News March 23, 1999 about the mint throwing them into the ocean. CHRIS

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DWLange

DWLange

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Alan was on the right track, but he had his dates wrong. The unused steel planchets remaining at the end of 1943 were used at the Philadelphia Mint to coin a wartime issue of Belgian two-franc pieces, which were designed specifically to use these planchets. Of course, a few also lingered within tote bins and were unintentionally struck with 1944 cent dies.

 

Beginning in Fiscal Year 1945, the Mint quietly began to withdraw the steel cents as they were received by the federal reserve. This activity peaked during the 1950s. The Mint ceased reporting the number of steel cents withdrawn after FY1967, by which time the coins were rarely seen in circulation.

 

Some of these cents were recycled into raw steel, but this was mostly for publicity purposes. The low grade of the steel used and the need to remove contaminants from it guaranteed that recycling would not be cost-effective. In 1951, the Mint contracted to have millions of the unwanted coins dumped into the Atlantic in water deep enough that they would not be retrievable. I don't know of any unstruck planchets being dumped. In later years, many of these cents were just sold as scrap metal, though the records of such sales are spotty. In any case, there was little profit to be made by anyone.

 

Much of this information is documented in my book The Complete Guide to Lincoln Cents, though some of it became known to me only after its publication.

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gmarguli

gmarguli

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I received the free grading coupon today. Thanks. I already know which coins I'm going to use them for.

 

 

keithdagen: HAHAHAHAHAHA tongue.gifwink.giftongue.gif

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