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The
Lincoln cent, minted since 1909, is a true American coinage
classic. Issued to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary
of President Abraham Lincoln's birth, it features the longest
continuous use of the same basic obverse design of any United
States coin. Though the coin's design has remained relatively
stable over the years, the metal composition has undergone
some drastic changes. The original material was bronze (copper,
tin and zinc) used through 1942. The next year, 1943, saw
a one year changeover to zinc-coated steel, while cents
struck in 1944 through 1946 used a material made from salvaged
gun cartridge shell cases from WWII. The years 1947 to 1962
saw the resumption of the original bronze composition, followed
by a slight alloy change from 1962-1982. However, a major
change occurred in 1982, when the composition was altered
from mostly copper (99.5%) with just a bit of zinc(0.5%),
to mostly zinc (99.2%) with a touch of copper (0.8%) and
a outer plating of pure copper. |