1944-D 1C Steel (Regular Strike)

The 1944-D Steel Cent is a very rare off-metal striking created when a steel blank left over from 1943 was struck in the normal production run of 1944-D Bronze Cents. Because the Denver Mint was not producing zinc-coated steel coins for foreign governments in 1944 (as was the Philadelphia Mint), the number of 1944-D Steel Cents is automatically expected to be lower than that of the 1944 Steel Cents, and such is the case. PCGS can account for seven demonstrably different 1944-D Steel Cents, which is about a fourth of the estimated population of the 1944 Steel Cent. The finest example (the one illustrated here) is part of the Simpson collection of off-metal 1943 and 1944 Cents, the only complete collection ever assembled of these hugely popular coins.

Important note: Until recently, PCGS certified 1944 Steel Cents under their Mint Error program, which assigned the coins certificate numbers which were subsets of the normal 1944 Bronze Cents. Thus, the PCGS Population Report data for the 1944 Steel Cent is understated and should be ignored.