One Cent 1943 Wheat Penny (Steel), Coin from United States - detailed information

The United States one-cent coin (often called a penny, from the British coin of the same name) is a unit of currency equalling one-hundredth of a United States dollar. The cent's symbol is ¢. It has been the lowest-value physical unit of U.S. currency since the abolition of the half-cent in 1857.

The earliest one cent coins were large and made of copper. Their designs changed relatively often; there were three different types in 1793 alone, the Flowing Hair / Chain Cent, the Flowing Hair / Wreath Cent and the Liberty Cap Cent - the latter issued until 1796, after which came the Draped Bust type (1796 to 1807), the so-called Classic Head Cent (1808 to 1814) and the Coronet Cent, also known as Liberty Head (1816 to 1857).

When a large copper coin became impractical, an alternative was sought. The Flying Eagle cent was a transitional smaller type, struck between 1856 and 1858 in copper-nickel. This design was short-lived and was replaced by the the Indian Head type in 1859 - initially also in copper-nickel until 1864, then bronze.

In 1909, the Lincoln Cent was introduced to mark the centenary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. This was the first time when an actual person (and not an abstract symbol such as Liberty) was depicted on American coins. The obverse of the coin shows a portrait of Abraham Lincoln by Victor David Brenner. The original reverse, also by Brenner, shows the value surrounded by wheat stalks and is known as the Wheat Penny.

In 1943 only, the cent was struck in zinc-coated steel as copper was needed to aid in the war effort. The United States Mint then reverted to 95% copper the next year. The unique composition of the coin has led to various nicknames, such as wartime cent, steel war penny, and steelie.

The steel cent is the only regular-issue United States coin that can be picked up with a magnet. Although they continued to circulate into the 1960s, the mint collected large numbers of the 1943 cents and destroyed them.