1944 and 1945 cents were made from recycled copper shell casings.
1944 and 1945 nickels were made from a combination of silver, copper, and manganese to free up nickel for use in weapons.
Some were.
You're almost certainly thinking of the cents minted from 1944-46 called "shell case" cents. They were struck from ammunition shell casings (not bullets) that were recovered after the shells they contained were fired in combat. And that was WW2, not Vietnam, of course.
Penny
US cents were never made out of rifle casings themselves, but they were made from shell casings during 1944 and 1945. These coins were of course called "shell-casing cents".In 1943 the Mint struck cents in plated steel to save copper for use in ammunition. The steel coins were unsatisfactory in almost every way - they were confused with dimes when new, after a while they either rusted or turned an ugly gray, they didn't always work in vending machines, etc., etc. As the war turned in favor of the Allies there was so much spent ammunition that the government was able to divert some of the scrap for use in coins, so starting in 1944 coinage of bronze cents resumed.
1943 was the only year that the US made zinc-coated steel cents because copper was needed for ammunition. By 1944 there was enough copper available that used shell casings were recycled for making cents. Note that there were a few 1943 copper cents struck by mistake, as well as 1944 steel cents.
1944
They aren't anymore. "Shell-case" cents were only made in 1944 and 1945 when the government had to dispose of huge numbers of casings that had been used for ammunition in WW2. The shell casings were melted down and alloyed into bronze for use in pennies.Starting in 1946 normal mined copper, tin, and zinc were used. In mid-1982 the composition was changed to 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper because copper had become too expensive.
Check that date again, because the last year for buffalo nickels was 1938.
2
Liberty nickels were minted from 1883 to 1912. All nickels minted since 1938 have been Jefferson nickels, and ALL coins carry the word Liberty.Please see the Related Question for more information.
No. War nickels dated 1942-45 contain 35% silver, with 56% copper and 9% manganese.
US nickels have never been made of steel. 1942-45 nickels were made of an alloy of silver, copper, and manganese. Nickel was needed for the war effort. Please see the Related Question for more information.