1942 Cent Pattern - J-2053, Zinc

Coin Details

Auction Record

$5,100 Genuine 08-13-2006 Heritage Auctions

Description

Judd-2053, Pollock-2243, is a zinc cent pattern from the 1942 wartime testing program. Pure zinc was an obvious candidate for replacing copper: it was abundant, inexpensive, and had no critical military applications that would be compromised by diverting it to coinage. Zinc could take a reasonably sharp impression from dies, producing a recognizable Lincoln portrait and wheat-ears reverse. However, pure zinc presented significant drawbacks. It oxidized rapidly, developing a dull grey patina that many found unappealing. It was softer than bronze, meaning zinc cents would show heavy wear in circulation within months. And its grey appearance risked confusion with the dime. The Mint ultimately concluded that zinc alone was inadequate, but the metal became a key component of the adopted solution — zinc was used as the coating on the steel planchets of the 1943 cent to prevent rusting.

Rarity Notes

R-6 to R-7. Very rare. The zinc pattern documents an important intermediate step toward the adopted zinc-coated steel composition.

Cross References

Judd J-2053, Pollock P-2243; 1942 wartime cent composition testing program; pure zinc composition