These coins can be worth much more than ... the tendency to quickly lose its zinc coating and then rust, the 1943 steel penny has become a popular collector's item as its unique history sets ...
If you find the right one, it could be worth more than your car or house. The most valuable U.S. cent is the 1943-D Lincoln Bronze Wheat Penny ... of 95% copper and 5% zinc, Numismatic News ...
The staggering value ... In 1943, the US Mint stopped using bronze for penny production to conserve the material for the war effort. Instead, pennies were made from steel coated with zinc.
In 1943, copper and nickel were needed for the Allied war effort, so most pennies from this era were struck in zinc ... penny, and less than 40 have been authenticated. As such, any discovery of a ...