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 Replies: 9 / Views: 1,016 |
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Valued Member
United States
73 Posts |
I am looking for one to fill the slot in my Danco Type Set. I looked at the ones I took out of circulation back in the mid to late 1960's and they are very dark and beginning to rust. This made me wonder if it is possible to get a totally rust free coin in mid to high MS condition without breaking the bank. So my search/research has begun. Started with a search on this forum using "1943 steel Lincoln Cent" as my search term. I can't put them all here because of the many hits. Anyone know of a thread they think is especially great? Please post a link! First I read: Fake/Counterfeit Detection: 1943 Reprocessed Steel Cents - Special Edition. https://goccf.com/t/428634 Learned the edges of these coins have thinner plating and are often damaged. Next: 1943 D Steel Penny Toning? https://goccf.com/t/455206 That coin looks in great shape except for some black spots. Next: 1943 Steel Wheat penny Reprocessed? https://goccf.com/t/467366Side by side photo of replated and MS grade coin. Edges are very important. Next: 1943 Steel Penny Question About Plating! https://goccf.com/t/416230 Contains a photo story by Coop on how to tell a replated coin from a normal zinc cent. |
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
25740 Posts |
Quote:
I looked at the ones I took out of circulation back in the mid to late 1960's and they are very dark and beginning to rust. Perhaps 3-in-1 machine oil will help preserve them. Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10601 Posts |
You can get a graded example 64 for a decent price and just crack it out.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1235 Posts |
I think Marve65 has the right idea. These coins in MS condition are not that expensive.about 25 dollars ish ish.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7293 Posts |
You live in NJ, go to Green Brook coin shop on route 22 and tell Mike or Jim you want a nice steel cent, they have a lot from $5-$10. Pick up a nice one and you are good.
Edited by hfjacinto
10/01/2025 3:57 pm
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5688 Posts |
I just replied to your message on ebay. Both the zinc plating and the steel edges are fairly reactive, so corrosion spots are common. Fortunately, they made a lot of them, many probably still preserved in BU rolls, so it shouldn't be too hard to find a pristine mint state coin. You just need to avoid the many reprocessed coins. |
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Valued Member
 United States
73 Posts |
Lots of very helpful replies. Thanks Zurie, hfjacinto https://www.greenbrookcoins.com/ , Marve65. Hondo Boguss, no doubt the oil would exclude moisture, but pretty sure it would darken the zinc as it gets in the pores. I'm going to have to experiment. In the metalworking industry vanishing oils are used where you need a lubricant but don't want it to stick around. We never used them when I was working. In my work in a copper alloy wire redraw mill (brasses, bronzes, nickel silvers, beryllium copper, pure copper), if we had to respool a spool of wire that was loose and was in danger of tangling when the wire was pulled from the spool, we used 99% Isopropyl alcohol as the lubricant. In those cases we could not use anything that would leave a residue behind. We sprayed it on the build ups at the corners of the spool to help the wire pull out of the corner. It evaporated as it left the spool. Most of the wire was less than 0.010" in diameter, down to 0.003" dia. One kink and the wire breaks. Edited by jerrytheplater
10/01/2025 10:35 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19976 Posts |
Local coin shop is your best option. Generally, dealers know the plated coins and toss them into the junk pile. You'll find a nice MS coin easily and for cheap, like <$20 for a nice one.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1140 Posts |
I just bought one recently from ebay for like 5 bucks in BU. I recommend ebay or your local coin shop. |
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Valued Member
United States
73 Posts |
Thanks guys. I followed hfjacinto's suggestion and went to Green Brook coin store on Saturday. I got what I thought was a really nice coin. I didn't see any spots at all on it. $6.00. I was especially interested in the edge of the coin. I could see the band in the middle of the edge where the zinc plating was either very very thin or missing. And this was only with a 4X eye loupe. I sure wish I was still working (to some extent only!!!) because then I would be able get the zinc plating thickness measured on an XRF thickness tester. The one at my work would do it if they had the needed zinc calibration standards, but we never plated zinc. I do know a company that does zinc plating and might be able to help me out.
The coin store had a pretty steady stream of people coming in to sell silver and gold coins/jewelry! I was pretty amazed. I even bought a 1986 Ellis Island $1.00, 1993 James Madison $.50 out of the silver scrap bags for silver scrap price. Filled two spots in my Type set with them! I wonder how this rush to sell silver will affect future availability of good grade coins for the collector.
Now to break out my Mirrorless camera and take some photos. That will be a whole new area for me to get into.
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Replies: 9 / Views: 1,016 |
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Posted 10/01/2025 1:31 pm
