1970 Semi-silver Lincoln cent.

I Bring to the Bank with all my change to cash it. But for some reason the Coins Counting machine refused to take it. Then I started a careful investigation in the Internet. IN WEKPEDIA I FOUNDED THIS: During the early 1970's the price of the copper rose to a point where the cent contained almost one cent's worth of copper. This led the mint to test alternative metals, including aluminum and Bronze clad steel. aluminum was chosen and over 1.5 millions of the pennies were struck and ready for public release before ultimately being rejected. The proposed aluminum pennies were rejected for two reasons. vending machine owners complained the coins would cause mechanical problems. and pediatricians and pediatric radiologist pointed out that inside the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts was close to that of soft tissue and the coins would therefore be difficult to detect in x-ray imaging one aluminum cent was donated to the Smithsonian Institution. Any help. Welcome.

 

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Your coin looks suspiciously like copper to me. Have you weighed it?

The aluminum cents you are referring to were struck in 1974.

 

Yep, That's true. I saw that also. The shining reaction of this coin look like Dry film Lubricant "Dicronite". But all over; the color is silver spots and copper spots. Dim are Dia. 0.747" Thick 0.063" and weight 3.0 Grm. 1 decimal scale (in home I have one with two decimals). I know the Dicronite lubricant because I work with some Pcs for Air-force planes.

 

All I see is a circulated cent. Sometimes coin machines just kick things out for no reason. I have a handful of perfectly fine coins that have been rejected by various coin machines. I wouldn't read too much into it.

 

I suspect it was rejected by the machine due to the damage that sticks up on the rim on the reverse at 4 o'clock.

What kind of planes did you service?

 

This is a Machine Shop company. We make parts for Airplanes and the Navy. It's a Tool and Die maker company. My working area is Inspection.

 

It's possible that someone plated it or rubbed it with mercury, and that most of the surface alteration has worn off.

It's not possible that it's aluminum. (It wouldn't weigh 3 grams.)

 

In a 1970 Lincoln cent. The "silver color" is normal?

 

Well too me it looks just like any other circulated cent. The silver color could come from a variety of places. It appears to me that it is in fact copper, plated with silver coloring, or possibly chemically tampered with.

 

One of my co-workers has a lot of experience in Sheet Metal, and By the weight, he Said Yes. Could be Aluminum. The big difference is that. He took the coin in his hands and did a personal examination. By looking only a picture some time you lose real factors.

 

According to the wiki page for the 1974 aluminum cent, it's weight is only 0.937 grams. Not even close to 3 grams.

 

Yep, costed with the lubricant and then circulated. Notice the copper spots are all on the high points where it has worn through the coating.

And your coworker is wrong. Aluminum has only roughly one third the density of copper so a piece of aluminum with the same dimemsions would only weigh one third as much as a copper piece. For it to be aluminum and the same weight and diameter it would have to be three times as thick.

 

All, all, all of you are right. After I saw what I saw, it's ok IT'S NOT ALUMINUM. In Wekpedia said: "The aluminum cents, are now ILEGAL to own". Oh la la. All the secret service behind you, if you own one.

 

I love living in the land of the free

 

Why? I do not disagree with the Secret Service saying these are illegal. They are government property, that the US has never officially renounced title. To me they are the same as stolen machine guns from the Army. Just because someone possesses something does not mean they hold legal title if the item was originally stolen. How would you like it if someone stole your coin collection and sold it to a Pawn Shop, and the Pawn Shop claimed they owned it because they didn't know it was stolen? Same with the 1974 aluminum cents.

 

When did i say that it wasn't fair? They have the freedom to make it illegal....

 

I know that. You're not talking about this 1970 Lincoln Cent. But I found this penny in a Bank roll from Chase. I stop there every Friday to cash my working check and to buy some rolls.

 

There are also Proof Lincoln's that tone a little on the silver side.
I have no idea how or why it happens.

 

I agree on the 1974 aluminum cents, but I'm not so sure about the 1974-D aluminum cents because it was not part of the government test strikings.