Lot 1202
1942 Lincoln Cent. PCGS graded MS-64. Unlisted in Judd, Pollock 2077. Metal composition listed on the holder as 93% Tin, 7% Antimony and the weight is listed as 3.9 grams. Pollock had never seen this pattern, but was aware of it, and assigned a number based on an observation by Walter Breen, who claimed to have seen "a 1942 cent struck on a thick white metal allow planchet (unknown composition)." By 1942, Mint official were well aware they would be facing a shortage of copper because of the war effort. To prepare for that eventuality, they tested a number of different metallic compositions, including zinc-coated steel, copper-zinc alloys, antimony and lead, using regular issue dies and fantasy dies created by John R. Sinnock. Several of the fantasy pieces, bearing a head of Liberty, have appeared on the market, but all of the Patterns made with regular dies were believed to have been destroyed. Happily, some survived. Today, three of these 1942 White Metal Cent Patterns are known -- this example (crossed over from an NGC MS-64); a PCGS MS-65 example; and an NGC graded Proof-65. With the current excitement generated by the off-metal 1943 and 1944 Cents, we fully expect this remarkable coin to set a record price.
Estimated Value $30,000 - 40,000.
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| Realized $46,000 |
