1944 Steel Cent

The 1944 steel cent is the mirror-image error of the 1943 bronze cent: after the Mint returned to bronze cent production in 1944, a small number of leftover zinc-coated steel planchets from 1943 were mistakenly struck with 1944 dies. Like its 1943 counterpart, genuine examples are extremely rare and highly sought after.

It shares the same World War II-era metal conservation backstory as the 1943 bronze cent and is similarly one of the most recognizable transitional errors in the Lincoln cent series, appealing to error collectors and Lincoln cent set builders alike.

After using steel planchets for cents in 1943 to save copper for the war effort, the Mint returned to the traditional bronze alloy in 1944 as copper supplies eased. A small number of steel planchets left over from 1943 evidently remained in mint machinery and were struck with new 1944 dies, producing a small population of steel 1944 cents.

Examples are known from Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco, with the San Francisco and Denver issues generally considered rarer than the Philadelphia examples, based on the number of specimens confirmed over decades of collector research and certification.

Obverse and reverse: Identical design to a normal 1944 bronze wheat cent, the difference being the steel planchet's silvery-gray color, though many surviving examples are now dark with rust or oxidation, rather than the coin's typical copper tone.

As with the 1943 bronze cent, weight and magnetism are the definitive tests: genuine 1944 steel cents weigh about 2.7 grams and are attracted to a magnet, while normal 1944 bronze cents weigh about 3.11 grams and are not magnetic. Beware of coins that have been plated with zinc or chrome to mimic a steel cent's appearance; these will not pass a proper weight and magnet test.

Because of the high value of genuine examples, third-party certification is strongly recommended before assuming any silver-colored 1944 cent is the real error.

Confirmed genuine 1944 steel cents are rare and valuable, with examples having sold for tens of thousands of dollars, and the rarer Denver and San Francisco-struck examples generally commanding higher prices than the Philadelphia issue.

As with the 1943 bronze cent, the vast majority of silver-colored 1944 cents found by the public turn out to be plated fakes rather than genuine steel planchet errors, so weight, magnet testing, and grading-service certification are essential steps before assuming a coin is the valuable genuine variety.