• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

1943 Copper 99.9% pure penny
0

7 posts in this topic

This is a 1943 Penny that I just had a metallurgy test done on.  It turned out 99.9% Cu and 0.1% Se (Selenium). I was wondering if any of the experimental coins at the end of the War Era before restarting Shell casing in1944 mint may have been accidentally nearly pure Copper?  I have Roger Burdette's book Pattern and Experimental Pieces of WW II and it's not mentioned but it sounds like there were a lot of tests being run at that time.  He comments that Pure Copper was used to "sweeten" the Brass shell casings to get the proper alloy.  The Reverse has soft lettering similar to the NGC Graded, Stacks Bowers Auctioned Penny at the AM of AMERICA.  I welcome any feedback, I'm a newbie so not sure how this really works.  Thanks.

1943 Copper Obverse.jpg

1943 Copper Reverse.jpg

NGC Graded Experimental 1943 penny.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

99% sure it is a fake, the look is all wrong.  I'm not an error guy but I am a longtime Lincoln collector and I have never heard of any coins being coined by the US mint with the metal composition you listed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd go 99.9% on it's fake. Look at the pits on the surfaces of Liberty and the date and the lapel. The US Mint didn't make dies that crappy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The experimental coining materials were an attempt so save copper that was needed for the war effort.  It really wouldn't make any sense to experiment with an alloy that used more copper.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The illustrated piece is a fake. Everything about the piece is wrong.

No selenium was used at the US Mint. It is one of several common impurities in commercial copper, and has been for centuries.

Normal alloy for the WW-II period was 95% Cu, 4+% Zn and enough tin (Sn) to be detectable to comply with law. Not comprehensive analysis of new cents from 1940 to 1949 has ever been done, but the mint was not a stickler for perfect alloy in the cent - nobody really cared.

Hope you like the book!

RWB

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
0