Pennies at the time were made of 95% copper, 4% zinc, and 1% tin, and the government looked for an alternative.
Among these were copper, tin, zinc, and nickel. And so did the need for certain strategic materials. When the United States officially entered World War II after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and other home front areas part of the Greater United States, wartime production increased dramatically. Photo by Jaclyn Nash.Ĭollection of the National Museum of American History, National Numismatic Collection.
