Information About Steel Pennies

We are used to coming across "regular" U.S. pennies-made out of copper, with Lincoln stamped on the heads side, and older pennies appearing slightly corroded or dirty looking.

Every once in a while, however, you may encounter a so-called "silver penny" that appears to be made out of white/silver metal as opposed to copper alloy. In reality, these pennies are not made out of silver at all-these are steel pennies from the World War II era. Although not worth much, they are a highly sought after collector's item.

You see, during World War II the demand for copper shot up drastically-copper is a valuable conductor metal that can be used for general wiring, telephone wires, and intricate electronics. The U.S. government is actually surprisingly crafty when it has to be; it realized that all of the copper used on pennies could be diverted, instead, to the war effort. So toward the end of World War II, copper pennies stopped being produced by the U.S. Mint. Instead, pennies were made out of cheap, stainless steel alloy.

When wartime activity ceased, the Mint went back to regular production of pennies using copper, and the odd looking steel penny was retired.

Since they are manufactured out of stainless steel, which is both less prone to corrosion and is stronger than copper, many steel pennies appear to be "brand new" even though they are from our grandparents' generation.

Some people claim that steel pennies can be used to con people in gambling since the penny does not land on heads and tails equally. This is a pure "urban legend", however, as there is no evidence to suggest a steel penny lands any differently than a copper penny. The weighting is still similar enough on both sides; if you flip a steel penny one hundred times, it will land heads approximately fifty times and tails approximately just as often.

Steel pennies are frequently sold on eBay and other collector's web sites. You can occasionally find them in circulation still, although most have been "plucked" by now-you are more likely to find one at a coin store, pawn shop, antiques store, or at a flea market. If your grandparents have a piggy bank that has not been disturbed since the 1940's or 1950's, there is a great chance you will find one or two steel pennies in the mix.

It's an unusual coin for many to see, and it reminds us of a more frugal age when wartime necessity came above nearly all else-even the copper in our pennies!