1942 Cent Pattern - J-2055, Manganese

Coin Details

Description

Judd-2055, Pollock-2245, is a manganese alloy cent pattern from the 1942 wartime testing program. Manganese was already familiar to the Mint as a coinage metal — it had been used in the nickel alloy for the five-cent piece since 1866 and would be incorporated into the wartime "silver" nickels of 1942-1945 (which contained 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese). For the cent, a manganese-heavy alloy offered hardness and durability superior to pure zinc or aluminum, though its dark grey-brown color was distinctly different from the warm copper tones Americans associated with the penny. Manganese's strategic availability was also undocumented — while not as critical as copper, it was used in steel production and other military-industrial applications. The manganese cent pattern occupies a middle ground between the conventional metallic alternatives (brass, zinc) and the more radical non-metallic experiments (plastic, fiber, rubber) that made the 1942 testing program so remarkable.

Rarity Notes

R-6 to R-7. Very rare. Manganese cent patterns are scarce but somewhat better documented than the non-metallic experimental compositions.

Cross References

Judd J-2055, Pollock P-2245; 1942 wartime cent composition testing program; manganese alloy; cf. wartime nickels (1942-1945)