1940-49 Lincoln Wheat (1909-1958) Small Cents Coins: US Coins & Paper Money

The first of the Lincoln Wheat coins made in the years 1940 to 1949 is the steel Zinc plated cent. It was composed of 100% steel with zinc, 19 millimeters in diameter. Another difference this Lincoln cent had was the weight of the coin, dropping from 3.11 grams to 2.70 grams. This particular coin was only used for a year, 1943 exactly, in the United States. The second, called the “shell casing” Bronze Lincoln was more of a hybrid to its two predecessors. It weighed the same as the steel Zinc plated Lincoln Wheat, yet it had the same composition as the first Lincoln Wheat cents from it birth in 1909.

 

These cent coins were also only used for a year, the year of 1944. There was another change in production for the Lincoln Wheat coins from 1940 to 1949 in the year 1945, where the design and makeup of the first coin came back around, returning the Lincoln Wheat to its roots. The tumultuous time in the United States during the years 1940 and 1949 is enough for a collector to add one of these beauties to their collection to cherish.