Key features

• •This is the complete WWII collection of all five years of Lincoln Pennies from all three mints. These are the coins that Americans used during World War II!
• •Americas entry into World War II following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, had a direct effect on the nations Pennies, spawning some historic and unusual emergency coins in an effort to save copper for the war effort.
• •In 1944 and 1945, Pennies were made with recycled copper from shell cases recovered from battlefields and ships. Tin was also needed for the war, so the coins were 95% copper and 5% zinc. All 1941 to 1945 coins were made at the U.S. Mints in Philadelphia (no mint mark), Denver (D mint mark under the date), and San Francisco (S mint mark).
• •1941 and 1942 Lincoln Pennies were made in the standard 95% copper composition, with the remainder tin and zinc, but the 1943 coins were made in 100% steel because copper was needed for shell casings and other war-related items. The one-year-only 1943 coins were the only steel coins in U.S. history.