Copper was a critical metal for munitions in World War II, so the Treasury issued battleship-gray steel cents in 1943. Their different weight caused problems in coin machines and they were replaced in 1944 with copper retrieved from casings of fired bullets and artillery shells. This set includes all three Philadelphia (no mintmark), Denver ("D") and San Francisco ("S") issues. Our nicely detailed Very Fine quality saw limited use on the homefront. 19mm
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