Lincoln Penny Trivia

In 2009, the Lincoln penny will be turning 100 years old. Here's a bit of Lincoln penny trivia:

In 1943, pennies were only made of copper for a short time before they were made of steel because, during World War II, the U.S. needed the copper to make communications equipment.

The 1943 copper-alloy cent is one of the most sought after items by coin collectors. There are only about 40 of these known to be in existence today.

You can tell if your 1943 penny is copper with a magnet. If a magnet won't pick it up, then it's copper--and might be worth a lot of money!

On December 22, 1999, a copper cent was auctioned off for $112,500.

In 1959, the Lincoln penny's original reverse design, two wheat stalks, was replaced with an image of the Lincoln Memorial.

In 1982, the composition of the Lincoln penny was changed from primarily copper to mostly zinc, with a thin outer copper plating.

When the U.S Mint discussed getting rid of the penny, the public was outraged--especially in Illinois, the home state of Abraham Lincoln.

Do you know any other interesting penny trivia? If so, please share it in the comments section.