Half of that is easy, and the other half is almost as simple.
First, the U.S. never made any silver pennies because they'd be worth more than dimes.
Second, the only steel pennies were struck in 1943 when copper was needed for the war effort. A genuine steel cent will stick to a magnet.
If you have any other date that's silvery in color, it's almost certainly a normal cent that someone plated.
They were steel, not silver.
It's easy! Pennies were never made of silver. They would be worth way more than a cent. Steel pennies were made in 1943. So if you have a penny that was minted in 1943 it's not silver but rather steel.
No. No genuine US coin other than the 1943 steel penny will stick to a magnet. If you have a US coin that sticks to a magnet other than the steel penny, it is a counterfeit.
Test it with a magnet. 1943 steel cents are magnetic. 1944 copper cents are not.
The vast, vast, vast, majority of 1944 pennies are copper. If it sticks to a magnet it /might/ be steel, though you'd have to take it to an expert to make sure it wasn't altered from a steel 1943 penny.
They were steel, not silver.
It's steel, not silver, and it's worth about 5 cents.
It's easy! Pennies were never made of silver. They would be worth way more than a cent. Steel pennies were made in 1943. So if you have a penny that was minted in 1943 it's not silver but rather steel.
It's not silver. It's a 1943 steel penny.
Nobody. The US never made silver pennies. In 1943 the US made steel pennies. These are often mistaken for silver. In 1943 Abraham Lincoln was on the US penny.
It has a silver color because it is made out of steel. Copper was needed for the war and was in short supply, so steel pennies were made.
1943 pennies are not silver. They are zinc coated steel. Copper was saved for war effort.
It's made of steel, not silver, and most are worth around 5 cents.
It's made of steel, not silver, and it's worth about 5 cents.
The US has never made a one cent coin from silver. Zinc coated steel, not silver.
Well . . . there have never been any silver pennies minted in the US, so you must be talking about the steel pennies. As far as I know, 1943 was the only year that steel pennies, or 'steelies', were minted.
"They" (the mint) didn't. You have a coin that someone plated with a silver-colored metal for use in jewelry.