The US 1940 Cent, designed by Victor D. Brenner, featured Abraham Lincoln, symbolizing national unity as World War II loomed. Made of 95% copper, the coin reflected America’s industrial might, with copper crucial for wartime production. The Selective Training and Service Act (1940) introduced the first peacetime draft, signaling the nation’s military buildup. As war tensions grew, the US 1940 Cent circulated widely, embodying economic stability before material shortages altered coinage.
That year, Franklin D. Roosevelt pushed for defense expansion, increasing government spending. The US 1940 Cent, still in its original copper form, represented pre-war normalcy before steel cents emerged in 1943 due to metal rationing. Brenner’s enduring design on the US 1940 Cent reinforced American resilience, as the nation braced for global conflict.