1943 Steel Cents - Coin Community Forum

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Author	Replies: 5 / Views: 1,311
simple_man New Member United States 14 Posts	Posted 02/12/2006 12:33 am Does anyone know of a safe method for removing the "GUNK" from 1943 Steel Cents? I have several sets and about a 1/3 of them are black/gray in the field area. I am in the process of putting together a complete set of "Lincolns" for each of my kids and want coins that are pleasing to the eye. Thanks. Report this Post to the Staff

Metalman Pillar of the Community United States 7123 Posts	Posted 02/12/2006 12:47 am Hi Simple_man There is no way to safely bring the steel cents back from the grey color. examples of the steel can be found that are bright, but once in the books will not stay that way indefinitely, they will also become grey and dark over time. If you decide to replace yours with bright coins be aware that many of these cents were replated these replated cents are no longer original and not worth a premium for grade. Rick Report this Post to the Staff
CommonCents New Member United States 32 Posts	Posted 02/12/2006 07:58 am Just a thought, you can buy these in AU/BU for about 1.00 it may be easier just to buy a few nicer looking examples. Even replated examples may serve in lower grade set. They will look good and it really dosent change the overall value of the set. Report this Post to the Staff
Susanlynn9 Forum Mom United States 5877 Posts	Posted 02/12/2006 1:50 pm Simple man, I know how you feel. I have multiple rolls of these and they all either have the white gunk on them or flat-out rust. The problem with these is that the zinc coating was usually not done well so the entire coin wasn't coated. As a result, either the steel underneath started to rust or the finish starts to lift and makes them very unattractive. Haven't found anything that will restore them. You will definitely be better off buying one in BU condition and then putting it in an Airtite or Intercept Shield holder to prevent deterioration. Report this Post to the Staff
longnine009 Pillar of the Community United States 1247 Posts	Posted 02/12/2006 5:06 pm The mint made the mistake of coating the steel sheet the planchets were punched from rather than the planchets themselves after they were punched. So the edges were always raw and rusted. Report this Post to the Staff
Gary Burke Rest in Peace United States 3730 Posts	Posted 02/13/2006 12:11 am I put away a bunch 30 to 40 years ago. Then, they looked very nice. Now, they don't. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 5 / Views: 1,311

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