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1943: steel cents and silver nickels
Copper and nickel went to the war effort, and the two smallest coins changed metal.
“Steel covered with zinc coating not to exceed .001 inch”
The Mint's table gives the steel cent's standard weight as 41.5 grains under the order of December 23, 1942 and 42.5 grains under the order of May 15, 1943 (pamphlet, table C6, PDF p. 13). The pamphlet's steel-cent total, 1,093,838,670, equals its reported 1943 cent total. The cited sources don't establish whether the copper cents struck by mistake are included in those totals:
“In 1943, pennies were made of zinc-coated steel because copper was needed during World War II. At the beginning of 1943, however, a limited number of copper pennies were struck by mistake.”
The Mint documents those copper cents but gives no number, so we don't either.
“56 copper, 35 silver, 9 manganese.”
“When nickel was removed from five-cent coins during World War II, the “P” mint mark first appeared on coins produced in Philadelphia. The mark’s position also moved from the right of Monticello to above the dome to indicate the new metal composition.”
| Coin | Facility, mark | Figure | Counts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half dollar | Philadelphia, no mint mark | 53,190,000 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) | Mint pamphlet 1792-1965, PDF pp. 42 and 44 (printed pp. 38 and 40), table C19 |
| Half dollar | Denver, D | 11,346,000 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) | Mint pamphlet 1792-1965, PDF p. 54 (printed p. 50), table C27 |
| Half dollar | San Francisco, S | 13,450,000 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) | Mint pamphlet 1792-1965, PDF pp. 60 and 62 (printed pp. 56 and 58), table C33 |
| Quarter | Philadelphia, no mint mark | 99,700,000 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) | Mint pamphlet 1792-1965, PDF pp. 42 and 44 (printed pp. 38 and 40), table C19 |
| Quarter | Denver, D | 16,095,600 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) | Mint pamphlet 1792-1965, PDF p. 54 (printed p. 50), table C27 |
| Quarter | San Francisco, S | 21,700,000 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) | Mint pamphlet 1792-1965, PDF pp. 60 and 62 (printed pp. 56 and 58), table C33 |
| Dime | Philadelphia, no mint mark | 191,710,000 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) | Mint pamphlet 1792-1965, PDF pp. 42 and 44 (printed pp. 38 and 40), table C19 |
| Dime | Denver, D | 71,949,000 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) | Mint pamphlet 1792-1965, PDF p. 54 (printed p. 50), table C27 |
| Dime | San Francisco, S | 60,400,000 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) | Mint pamphlet 1792-1965, PDF pp. 60 and 62 (printed pp. 56 and 58), table C33 |
| Nickel | Philadelphia, P | 271,165,000 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) | Mint pamphlet 1792-1965, PDF pp. 48 and 50 (printed pp. 44 and 46), table C21 |
| Nickel | Denver, D | 15,294,000 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) | Mint pamphlet 1792-1965, PDF p. 56 (printed p. 52), table C29 |
| Nickel | San Francisco, S | 104,060,000 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) | Mint pamphlet 1792-1965, PDF p. 63 (printed p. 59), table C35 |
| Cent | Philadelphia, no mint mark | 684,628,670 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) | Mint pamphlet 1792-1965, PDF pp. 48 and 50 (printed pp. 44 and 46), table C21 |
| Cent | Denver, D | 217,660,000 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) | Mint pamphlet 1792-1965, PDF p. 56 (printed p. 52), table C29 |
| Cent | San Francisco, S | 191,550,000 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) | Mint pamphlet 1792-1965, PDF p. 63 (printed p. 59), table C35 |
Silver in a 1943 nickel: 1.75 g (our calculation: the 77.16-grain standard weight in the Mint's minor-coinage table, about 5.00 g, × 35%; pamphlet, table C6, PDF p. 13).
Dimes, quarters and half dollars were still 90% silver: the Mint's silver-coinage table gives fineness 900 and the standard weights set by the act of Feb. 12, 1873, the last change it lists before 1965 (pamphlet, table C5, PDF pp. 11-12).
Figures and quotes checked against their sources on October 12, 2026.