United States | |
| Value | 0.01 US$ |
|---|---|
| Mass | 0.937 g (0.030 troy oz) |
| Diameter | 19.05 mm (0.750 in) |
| Thickness | 1.55 mm (0.061 in) |
| Edge | Plain/Smooth |
| Composition | 96% Aluminum with trace metals mixed in. |
| Years of minting | 1973 (dated 1974), 1974, 1975 |
| Catalog number | Judd J2151/Pollock P2084 (1974 Aluminum) Judd J2152 (1974 Bronze-Plated Steel) Judd J2153 (1974-D Aluminum) Judd J2155 (1975 Aluminum) |
| Obverse | |
| Design | Abraham Lincoln |
| Designer | Victor D. Brenner |
| Design date | 1909 |
| Reverse | |
| Design | Lincoln Memorial |
| Designer | Frank Gasparro |
| Design date | 1959 |
_Aluminum.jpg)
The 1974 aluminum cent was a one-cent coin proposed by the United States Mint in 1973. It was composed of an alloy of aluminum and trace metals, and it was intended to replace the predominantly copper–zinc cent due to the rising costs of coin production in the traditional bronze alloy. Of the 1,571,167 coins struck in anticipation of release, none were released into circulation.[1] To encourage congressional support for the new alloy, the Mint distributed several examples to U.S. Congressmen. When the proposed aluminum cent was rejected, the Mint recalled and destroyed those coins.
However, despite the recall, a few aluminum cents were not returned to the Mint, and those coins may remain at large. One example was donated to the Smithsonian Institution, while another was alleged to have been found by United States Capitol Police Officer Albert P. Toven. A 1974-D specimen was found in January 2014 by Randall Lawrence, who said it was a retirement gift to his father, Harry Edmond Lawrence, who was Deputy Superintendent at the Denver Mint. Randall planned on selling it in a public auction, but the Mint demanded its return, saying that the coin was never authorized for release and therefore remains U.S. government property. Lawrence (and his business partner at their coin store, Michael McConnell) ultimately surrendered the coin when the Mint showed that the aluminum cent had never been authorized to be struck in Denver, and there was no evidence that the coin had been a gift of any kind.[2]
- ^ Coin and Currency Issues Facing Congress: Can We Still Afford Money? : Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology of the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Ninth Congress, Second Session, 19 July 2006. Vol. 4. U.S. Government Printing Office. 2007. p. 70. ISBN 9780160781421.
- ^ "San Diego Man Returns Rare Aluminum Penny Worth Up To $2M To U. S. Mint". Fox 5 News San Diego. March 18, 2016. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.