The 1943 Bronze Lincoln Cent remains one of the most fascinating error coins in American history, a product of chance during the chaos of World War II. In 1943, the U.S. Mint switched from bronze to zinc-coated steel cents to save copper for the war effort.
Amid the transition, a few leftover bronze planchets from 1942 were mistakenly left in the minting machinery. These planchets were struck with 1943 dies, creating a handful of bronze cents that should never have existed.