Anyone Know of A copper Zinc Alloy 1974S

Found A 3.0 gram 1974S looks quite different than all the other 1974S I have found. It is bleeding white and has grey/silver tone on the worn spots. Also it has a Y where the T should be at in Liberty.

 

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It's copper, with lots of verdigris, and well within weight tolerance. Spender.

 

All 1974 cents are a copper zinc alloy. 95% copper 5% zinc, they used that alloy from 1963 to mid 1982.

As for the Y where the T should be, it looks like the T took a hit in the center of the top bar.

 

I am not sure it is verdigris it looks like it has a high zinc content way above 5%. I was thinking it was one of the nonsense 70% copper 30% zinc alloy experimental type. Here is a comparison with a normal 1974S with another Y error on liberty T.

 

Here is a comparison with another error Y for a T

 

That green gunk? Please trust me, it's verdigris, not zinc.

But if you are still so sure that I'm wrong, and you actually do have an important error, send it to Heritage Auctions.

 

Thank you for your time just trying to get different opinions. It is white not green did you see the new comparison pics. Also many of the legends are unintelligible.

 

I see the blueish green that copper turns when it corrodes.

 

Do you have any examples to back up your theory

 

I give up. I guess I can't fool you.

 

The 'whitish' material on the obverse might be zinc, but it isn't from any internal mix with copper for the coin, not from a 5% zinc coin or even from a much higher zinc content. Zinc is many steps more reactive than copper, and in any natural corrosive reaction such as water or wet soil ( my suspicion), zinc would go into solution and leave any copper rather than be deposited on the copper or copper being dissolved leaving zinc. Unless it was a chemistry experiment with strong sodium hydroxide which would deposit zinc onto the copper. SO the cent has either corroded in acidic soil , or was placed in strong alkaline in a lab, but the weight says it is a corroded normal cent for 1974S. Sorry. Welcome to the forum.

 

You should send the coin in and let the grading service tell you it's a piece junk.
It's a normal cent with corrosion. I would bet it's a ground find.

 

I guess it corroded so much the t in liberty turned into a y. I got this from a bank roll near the city of San francisco. I find many SF errors that many people have never heard of because of location. Just looking at pg 47 The complete guide to lincoln cents. Thanks for your opinion.

 

The T --> Y could be the effect of a hit, but notice that the arms are higher than the arms of the "Y" following. So they are probably from a worn die or die damage aided by some corrosion on the area. If you have a strong enough magnifier you will probably see the damage. Also notice on the reverse how the word "CENT" has also been affected by damage similar to that of a coin dropped on concrete or rough surface and 'ground' down a little. None of these would count as a variety or error, just damage from what I can see. Yes, that page and the next indicate that the weights or specific gravity would distinguish any variation. Also , even though there is one verified 1974-D aluminum cent, it is the only experiment that was not made only at the Philadelphia mint. There is no record, and really no reason why test planchets would be sent to -D or S mints ( although obviously one did) Any of the tests with steel would be attracted to a magnet, the aluminum cent by weight ( much less than the bronze) , and the different proportions of copper/zinc would have a different sp. gr. and weight also. Hang on to it, and someday when it really bugs you, you can reconsider.

 

Why do you ask a question and then refuse to listen to the answers given. You are getting the same answer from multiple people. There has been only one opinion stated by everyone who took the time to answer your question. Your coin is not valuable. Move on with your life or submit it for grading.

 

My guess is that the poster is already "convinced" it's a high zinc coin and is here simply to get validation and/or cudo's on such a remarkable discovery.

Nothing that can be said or done will ever change the posters mind.

Remember "The Pennache"?

Same story--------different coin.

To me, its just a corroded 74-S. Bank roll or not.

 

Already sent it back to the bank

 

*facepalm*

 

*double facepalm*

 

Good Move as I think you were just saved a minimum of $10 for a professional to tell you exactly what was said here.