A bad pennyBy Mark Chervenka
A bad penny
In 1943, Lincoln pennies were made of zinc coated steel due to wartime shortages of copper. The steel pennies were produced at the Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco mints. Some 1943 pennies were made in copper by error. The 1943 fake on the left is a steel penny that has been copper plated. Test suspected pieces with a magnet--steel will attract, copper will not.
Copper plated fake, left; original steel cent, right.
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