1943 copper wheat question

Bigrig52 · June 11, 2011 6:48AM

How could there have been copper 1943 wheats from all 3 different mints and why so little few ever found..This bugs me to no end.I can see maybe from 1 mint but from all 3

drwstr123 · June 11, 2011 7:01AM

All three mints used copper planchets the year before.

PerryHall · June 11, 2011 7:03AM

<< <i>How could there have been copper 1943 wheats from all 3 different mints and why so little few ever found..This bugs me to no end.I can see maybe from 1 mint but from all 3 >>

All three mints struck copper coins in 1942. The theory is there were a few stray copper planchets stuck in some of the tote bins at all three mints that were knocked loose when the new steel cent production began early in 1943.

Shamika · June 11, 2011 7:07AM

If you've ever worked in a manufacturing plant, you'll understand right away how such things happen. In regards to the Mint, those outside see it as a place that produces money. But those inside quickly become desensitized to all of it and in short order it's just so many millions of widgets being produced.

In regards to the copper cents, the theory is that copper planchets from 1942 were hung up in various places throughout the process and worked their way free during the 1943 minting process. When you consider how many zillions of coins the three mints produce, it's amazing they do as well as they do.

Shamika · June 11, 2011 7:08AM

Interesting story: In my past job I did quite a bit of trouble shooting for customers who purchased plastic pellets from my employer. These customers would use the pellets to injection mold various articles for their own products (dashboards, electrical boxes, DVD's, etc). One of our customers was a coffin manufacturer. When I first began visiting this company, it was indescribably creepy seeing coffins in various states of completion throughout the plant. But after a few visits, I hardly thought about it anymore. Again, you become totally desensitized.

GrumpyEd · June 11, 2011 10:48AM

The same thing happened after they switched to zinc. A few coppers exist from later years. Probably not many of them ever got noticed and some are still out there in use.

<< <i>If you've ever worked in a manufacturing plant, you'll understand right away how such things happen. In regards to the Mint, those outside see it as a place that produces money. But those inside quickly become desensitized to all of it and in short order it's just so many millions of widgets being produced. >>

That makes sense too. A few stray planchets left in a big bin or stuck in a machine show up the next year. Working in a manufacturing plant it reminds me that every few years people clean up. I could imagine a worker finding some stray planchets and putting them back into the flow.

Most big manufacturing plants will scrap anything that somehow got out of the flow. The risk of some mismatch or old revision getting in and causing a defective item outweighs the saving of scrounging. Still some worker might break the rule and toss something back into the flow.

streeter · June 11, 2011 1:31PM

I believe that for the SF mint, a worker tossed some coppers in the mix and retreived them after they were struck. He died around 1960 and a relative spent the coins. And that's about the time they turned up in circulation in the Bay Area. 6 or 7 ? Relative had no idea they were copper 43-s cents illicitly made. I hope that Milky Way tasted real good.

ricko · June 12, 2011 12:33AM

Shamika is absolutely correct about manufacturing processes...especially high volume processes. I have considerable experience in manufacturing and on many occasions have had issues with incorrect material getting into the flow. Not critical if you are minting coins, but can be seriously problematic in aerospace or electronics. Cheers, RickO

tahoe98 · June 12, 2011 2:13AM

...i would imagine there are interesting hypothesis for the 1944 steelies, yes?

1943 copper wheat question

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