I found an unusual coin while pursuing my passion, searching bank rolled cents. It is addictive. Anyway I did not know that this year were struck in bronze. Need some expert info on this. Regards, Mike L.
I don't think they were struck in bronze...looks like an uncirculated copper cent in my eyes. Keep up the hunt!
All cents from 1962 through the middle of 1982 were struck on planchets composed of 95% copper and 5% zinc. Your coin is perfectly normal. While technically "brass", a brassy color only shows up when the zinc content rises above 15%. So these coins are often referred to as bronze. To avoid confusion, I use the non-specific term "copper-alloy cent".
Be careful when talking about brass or bronze cents, Mike. I got kicked off LCR for asking if the coin the OP had was brass. The coin had the brass look and it was a zincoln so it probably had a high zinc content. Well after asking a few times if the cent was brass I was rudely told that Brass cents was something made up by Ken Potter, they did not exist and I was kicked off the site for 15 days. I learned one thing from my little adventure.....don't argue with moderators. Is there such thing as a bronze or brass cent? I usually go with the experts and most of the big dogs say they exist, and for about 30 dollars a piece you can buy one from Ken's site. So either Ken Potter is a crook or they are real.......and I don't think Ken is a crook.
Numismaster online says all copper cents are brass. I have copied and pasted the info. [TABLE="class: efTable"] KM# 201 Denomination [TD="width: 100%"]Cent[/TD] Country [TD="width: 100%"]United States[/TD] Coinage Type [TD="width: 100%"]Circulation Coinage[/TD] Mint [TD="width: 100%"]U.S. Mint[/TD] Composition [TD="width: 100%"]Brass[/TD] Weight [TD="width: 100%"]3.11 g [/TD] Diameter [TD="width: 100%"]19 mm[/TD] Description Reverse [TD="width: 100%"]Lincoln Memorial[/TD] Designer Reverse [TD="width: 100%"]Frank Gasparro[/TD] [/TABLE]
Tony, you left out the details of you publicly and rudely insulting a moderator in your story, even after he politely told you the coin was not Brass. Getting back on topic, Ken Potter does list Brass Cents on his site. I do search those specific dates for a different color. Whether it is worth searching for I don't know.
One form of improper alloy mix error involves an abnormally high fraction of tin and/or zinc. This creates a brassy look and the coins are therefore often referred to as brass cents. I have no objection to the term and I sometimes use it myself. However, a brassy appearance is no guarantee of an elevated level of tin or zinc. A brassy color can develop due to storage conditions and other environmental factors. More information on brass cents can be found here: http://www.coinworld.com/Articles/ViewArticle/heavy-brassy-1941-cents-probably-have-a-prosa
