The 1944 steel Lincoln cent was discovered in 1945 by Richard Fenton, a well-known collector. There are believed to be only 10 examples of this item, which was minted at the Philadelphia Mint. It is an item that was part of the 1943 galvanized steel planchets by mistake and later, it began to circulate officially. On the other hand, we have the 1944-D Lincoln steel cent (along with the scarcer 1943-S), which was also on planchets authorized for use in 1943, although here it began circulating in error.
Robert Collins is the one who discovered the latter coin, which contains a major XX error. And while it is analogous to the 1943 Lincoln copper cent error, collectors did not always share that sentiment. This is because the specimens sold for a fraction of their current value 20 years ago. This specimen ranked No. 15 on The 100 Coins with the 100 Greatest U.S. Errors.
Collector Bob R. Simpson assembled a unique collection of these Lincoln cents, minted in 1943 and 1944 PDS metal. Meanwhile, two specimens of the 1944-D steel Lincoln cent were held by collector Brenda John.
Coin buying and selling market data and featured specimens
Each coin has its specific characteristics, which end up giving it its value in the market. Here it matters the material of the coin, its history, age, conservation, among many other details that must be taken into account when selling them. Today, we will make a guide that will be useful for collectors and for those interested in numismatics.
These are the data provided by the PCGS website on the 5 most outstanding specimens:
- PCGS MS63 no. 26578316: Heritage Auctions, January 10, 2013, lot 5548: $82,250; Heritage Auctions, August 9, 2013, lot 5522: $79,312.50. Crack in die at Lincoln’s hairline. Gap in the iron below the T of Cent. Stain above the N of UNITED.
- NGC MS62 #1578007-001: Heritage Auctions, January 10, 2008, lot 2715 – $92,000. Diagonal stripe on hair, forehead and obverse right field. Dark spot to the right of the second A of AMERICA.
- NGC MS61 #3389664-001: Robery Collins, discovered in California in 1966; Heritage Auctions, January 4, 2012, lot 3069 – $58,201.50. Dusty toning throughout. Slight diagonal stripe on the obverse. This is the second 1944-D steel cent discovered.
- NGC AU55 #1582235-001: “The Brenda John Collection,” Heritage Auctions, June 3, 2010, lot 170 – $60,375. Scattered stains on the left side of the obverse. Small void in left field of obverse over IB. Gray blotch below U of TRUST. Gray puff below R of URIBUS. Small spot on M of AMERICA. Scattered rust tint.
- ANACS AU55 #XA7878: Heritage Auctions, May 31, 2007, lot 265 – $69,000. Dark planchet with faint areas of sand color on the periphery of the obverse. There is a dark spot to the right of the date.
Design
- Obverse: contains an Abraham Lincoln facing right, occupying most of this face. At the top, above Lincoln’s head, is the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. To the left is the word LIBERTY.
- Reverse: has a prominent representation of the denomination ONE CENT, at the top center, in a single line. Below this, we will find the phrase UNITED STATES OF AMERICA in two lines. Along the top arches the phrase E PLURIBUS UNUM. To both the left and right, curved along the edges, are images of ears of wheat.
- Edge: the edge of all Lincoln cents is Plain.
