ALUMINUM PENNY 1974 vs. NON-COPPER PENNY 1972-Denver Mint

More like 99.99999%. The odds are so infinitesimally small they are not even worth discussing. Nothing is EVER truly 100% certain.

What is annoying is the OP's wanted opinions but any opinion she does not like she IMMEDIATELY labels as 'negative' and is now trying to play some sort of bullied victim.

It is also maddening that this 'coin dealer' and some people on here encouraged her to shell out over $250 bucks (not including shipping or course) to grade a coin when it was nothing and even in that 0.000001% it was---there are much, much cheaper ways to see if it something 'special'.

 

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Your comments dismissing 'plated' based on weight ' were incorrect, it could be plated and be that weight. Being an alternate metal is unlikely, but plated is common.

Of course she sees the possibility of it not being what she hopes as negative, as would almost anyone. What I see is continuing rehashing of postings, and it does seem that it is getting close to bullying, but I hope that stops soon.

Yes, the coin dealer part is a downer, but being new at this, she probably doesn't have the experience we have of knowing that the difference between them and collectors is often ~ none. Maybe a PCGS dealer could tell us if a full metal analysis and grading would hit that. But that is PCGS, and I trust they would charge the same for me if I asked for the same service.

Again folks , lets wait for the results. Thanks , Jim

 

I am responding to comments. The notion that anybody is being bullied is absurd.

A slightly worn coin that is thinly plated could EASILY be the case here so when you say "Your comments dismissing 'plated' based on weight' were incorrect," are confusing.

Are you saying I dismissed plating because of the weight? Nope. My first comment is that is probably WAS plated.

 

Planman, do you ever take STOP as an answer? Can you please stop shoving everyone's hopes into a coffin and burying them alive? Just wait for the results, and I am sure you would have hope if you found a coin such as this one. As the OP said, she is new to the hobby and is enjoying it thus far. As existing members of the numismatic community, it is our job to welcome new members, not to shove all of their hopes into the floor. People like you are the reason the hobby is shrinking, so I would suggest that you welcome new coin collectors rather than be harsh with an attitude.

Now I do agree with you that there is a low chance of it being anything but plated, and that it was wrong for the dealer to state otherwise. However, we get your opinion by now, and it is becoming unfair to the OP for you to rub it in.

 

Hope for the Best, but prepare for the worst....

 

"it is our job to welcome new members, not to shove all of their hopes into the floor."

Again--silly. There are no hopes. The coin is noting. Not up for debate. She asked for the truth and that is what I am giving her. If she wanted false hope---go somewhere else.

The OP is the one who keeps asking me questions and trying to 'keep the hope alive' and when I answered her and explained why it was nothing--she resorted to name calling and "Wooeee is me".

 

What do you not get? Just STOP! You are putting all of us in a bad mood, and if you hate the coin so much, just leave the thread! Please...

 

If you get in a bad mood because you find out a coin is nothing but a plated or toned coin then you should stop collecting.

 

Besides the notion that the dealer is a schmuck, it could also be that he was fostering an interest.

When I first started roll searching I found, I believe, a 1961 D cent with some sort of doubling. I took it to the nearest shop where the owner and his buddy behind the counter that rarely speaks (isn't there one of those at every shop? ) took a look at it.

The "other guy" offered me $20 for it. One time offer no longer good when I left the shop. He did not offer to send it in. I passed and looked on my own to see if I was dodging a bullet. Turns out it was MD.

I love that shop and now talk extensively with both guys every time I'm out that way. I have been a repeat customer for many years and they have been super knowledgeable later on when I had questions on gold pieces (another great story).

I believe that $20 offer was made as either a test of some sort, or with the belief that any offer would be denied but still reinforce the idea that there was something more to be learned about it before trying to sell.

As a more on-topic aside to my rambling, consider this:

A metal disk in a certain thickness and diameter will weigh different amounts ONLY if the metal is different.

I remember science class teaching that the two closest elements are lead and gold, and people have tried for centuries to convert one to the other unsuccessfully. Is there another (magnetic) metal so near in atomic weight to copper?

I just had this same discussion on a local page for collectors I made on Facebook. I answered her simply by saying that if it weighs what copper should weigh given the dimensions, it cannot be any other metal.

People tend to be impatient with enthusiasm and the killing of it, seeming and feeling like the troll under the bridge every time they have to be the buzzkill, but after a while they tend to deflect this feeling by advising prematurely and out of frustration to send it to a TPG.

This does nobody any favors because now instead of being the jerk who peed on your parade, I (the advisor) am (is) the schmuck who gave bad, costly advice.

I'm guilty of it myself, though generally only after someone seems to actively resist information being provided and explanations as to why something is not what it seemed or was thought to be.

I still want to hear what PCGS determines because when I was starting out I bought an off color cent for $10 from a friend who had saved it for years and it turned out to be plated. There are a lot around. That scratch on the coin... The way it darkens there, was the same color as the plating after I picked it off that cent and rubbed it between my fingers.

That said, I do doubt it is an authentic error, and I feel bad that you spent the money. If you don't mind my asking, How much did it cost you including shipping to send it in? I have never sent in any myself but I probably should....

I do not doubt it is an authentic cent. Semantics are all important to some.

 

It wasn't the cent putting me in a bad mood, it was your attitude. And there you go again, telling me (A YN) to stop collecting. Way to support the hobby.

 

I was in a bad mood when I scratched the plating off the one I bought from my friend. immediately too. Still let her keep the ten even. How d'ya like that?

 

True in theory; Not so in practice. A cubic foot of Copper weighs 559.87 pounds; a cubic foot of Nickel weighs 555.72 pounds; a cubic foot of Cobalt weighs 552.96 pounds.*

A cubic foot of gold weighs 1206.83 pounds; a cubic foot of Tungsten weighs 1204.41 pounds.*

Differentiating small pieces of these materials by a weight to volume test is virtually impossible to anyone without highly sophisticated equipment.

*ref: http://www.coyotesteel.com/assets/img/PDFs/weightspercubicfoot.pdf

It's thought today that much of the world's Gold bar reserves are, in fact, gold covered tungsten, and are correct both in weight and volume but are only 50% or less gold.

 

Jim, it probably is nothing...and I thank you so much for asking people to wait and see. I respect everyone on this site, I am certain they know much more than I do.
I suppose being hopeful is a bad thing, my husband tells me not to think about it....but it is difficult not to. Yes, it has magnetic properties in it, and yes, the color is unique...I suppose I get affected emotionally when I am told by members that you have nothing...call and get the coin back....sure I know it could be nothing. I said to my husband the day it was sent that it is a roll of the dice. All I can say is when I put it in the sun for the photo of the three coins made in 1971- color brown; 1972 - color - pewter/silver; 1973 - color brownish red. I put a magnet to it, and it attached to the magnet. I further know my husband has had it in the same box (little red and white milk box from grade school) and that it was not out in the world for long from person to person. I did not know he had it until I was putting my dads Wheaties into holders. So, as an honest, hard working mom, all I can do is give the facts that I know, give the facts that a certified coin dealer told me, and wait for PCGS to notify me. As of tonight, no emails yet. I think today I got upset over a very persistent member telling me to forget it totally. That hurt...All I want is to hold on to a dream of paying of my childrens' college loans...that would mean the world to us. They both worked so hard...and their debts make starting a life very difficult. To be torn apart repeatedly with a negative attitude without the verdict being in, well, truthfully, again, it bothers me in my heart. I am 50 percent certain someone is right....

 

Thank you, yes, I am prepared to hear the worst. But thank you for the comments. By the way, what is an OP?

 

You can 'dream' all you want. We have all done that. The coin is still worth nothing. Even if in some miracle it turns out to be anything but a regular 1972 coin---there is zero reason to of paid $250 bucks plus shipping/insurance to test that INSANELY small chance of it being something special. That is again---not up for debate.

I am sorry that you consider people giving you realities 'negative'. The more you talk the more absurd you sound.

 

OP is Original Poster, which is you.

 

I tell you Mr. Wheatmaster101, I felt like never getting on this site or looking at coins ever again today. Yes, I did feel beaten....and I am not playing the bullied woman, just disappointed by people I respect who are knowledgeable. That is why I joined...I have yet to get into much of my dads collection...and would like to really become a true collector like you are....but it will take many years of reading, going to shows, etc., to get there. Thank you for being open-minded - I will not give up on collecting...you have made me feel better, with very few words, but true sincerity. Thank you for that.

 

Thank you...

 

I don't remember anyone saying that the coin she had is the same width and dimensions of a regular cent, so how can the weight tell us conclusively (100%) that it is just a plain old cent? All I remember was one picture, and maybe her saying it was actually thicker. Regardless, without seeing the coin in hand I think it's better to defer to experts. I don't think many of the posters in here claim to be coin experts or even that knowledgeable about error/pattern coins. After collecting for 4 or 5 years, the picture and testimony she gave was intriguing. I'd imagine a coin dealer with 25 years of experience, who by the way probably doesn't just flip gold and silver, can better help her establish what it is. Maybe I'm naive, but I don't think someone in the business for so long would get so excited and offer to sell the coin for her if it wasn't the least bit promising. I still think she did okay by sending it in if her story is truthful. Perhaps the cynicism raised about the dealer is warranted, but we'll know for sure when the results come back. No matter what happens, I'm glad this whole event raised her interest in coins and can only hope she gets more involved in the hobby to see the best it has to offer. So far, I think she's experienced in this forum alone some of the worst kinds of arrogance and rudeness seldom seen in coin collecting

 

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