Zinc cents were first struck in mid-1982 so your coin is an ordinary bronze cent that's either been plated or somehow discolored. In either case the damage means it's only worth a penny.
It's just a penny, spend it.
There is 97.5 percent zinc in a penny and 2.5 percent copper
All US cents minted in 1909 were made of bronze (95% copper). The first zinc-core cents were made in 1982.
Zinc-coated cents were minted in 1943 because copper was needed for the war effort. In average condition they retail for 25 to 50 cents.
All modern pennies are made out of zinc. If you are thinking of a 1943 steel penny that is a very common coin that is worth at most a dollar. If you have a 1942 steel penny that is a misprint error made by the mint and is very valuable. (be sure to have it certified by multiple sources including NGC) I hope that this helps.
It's just a penny, spend it.
Please look at the coin again zinc coated steel cents were struck in 1943 only. It's possible a 1946 has been plated with zinc.Values for 1943 steel cents are 5 to 10 cents for average circulated coins.
It's just a penny, spend it.
Two cents for the copper.
1 cent
3 cents.
They were not made out of lead. They were made out steel coated zinc.
The 1946-S Lincoln cent is common, average retail value for most coins is 10 to 25 cents.
Average value is 3 to 5 cents.
Average value is 3 to 10 cents, it's a very common coin.
Shell case pennies are almost identical to regular pennies but contain less zinc. The only two ways to identify the shell case penny and first is to weight them in reference to a normal penny which will be a little lighter because of the higher zinc content. They will also have a much browner tone not reddish. There is no real difference in value just interesting.
In average condition, about a dime.