I'm so old I Remember when:

[R2elk]

My Grandfather hated the lead pennies, he would get them mixed up with Dimes

They were steel, not lead.

 

[Love Donkeys]

That's one of my fondest childhood memories. The sound of rain hitting the tin roof, and the smell of the wet honeysuckle bush under my window.

Still have rain on a tin roof, now it's called Galvalume, and the rain sound is muffled because of the insulation. The Honeysuckle smells just as beautiful as always.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

They were steel, not lead.

I thought some were zinc. Or ... zinc-coated, maybe?

 

[Bsmac]

They were steel, not lead.

Yep! Copper was being used for ammunition for ww2 so they substituted with steel.

 

[R2elk]

I thought some were zinc. Or ... zinc-coated, maybe?

"The unique composition of the coin (low-grade steel coated with zinc"

 

[Evadig]

Yep! Copper was being used for ammunition for ww2 so they substituted with steel.

You would think they would want to conserve steel to make battleships and things?

 

[R2elk]

You would think they would want to conserve steel to make battleships and things?

At the time, copper was in much shorter supply than was steel. It was before aluminum became popular for electrical wiring.

Aluminum wiring did not become popular until the mid 1960s to mid 1970s.

 

[Love Donkeys]

I would help my Grandmother carry her leaking cook pots and pans out to the "Tinker" to get them repaired. He had a small horse drawn wagon and would show up at least once a month, he also sharpened knives. His horse had bells on its harness and he would bang on a drum to let the people know he was there. I loved that big old horse!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

"The unique composition of the coin (low-grade steel coated with zinc"

I knew you would know, thanks! I bet you aced the history classes I struggled through!

 

[EmmaDonovan]

The U.S. Mint stops minting pennies today. New pennies will be a thing of the past.