i see none have surfaced is that correct with the s? so far i have a silver colored 1974 penny that will not stick to a magnet..there is a story of a man in Pittsburgh once had one and sent it to be graded but was sent back..Im in pittsburgh so makes it even more real.What should i do from here? i know a private sale would bring big money but i want to authenticate it before i dream
Copper color seems to be coming through. What is the weight of your cent? It is most likely a high school science experiment.
If I recall correctly the other ones weighed less than a gram. And while your coin looks like it's been zinc plated to me I guess it's possible for a S mint aluminum cent to exist as a D mint one wasn't supposed to exist either.
Thanks for that, I was looking through some old threads. My guess is that the OP's coin weighs 3.1 or heavier.
its says there was 12 from philly i read some place with a s but none have surfaced like i said im not saying i have $10000000 coin it has the date i just want to know..i saw 0.93 grams so i guess ill weigh it in a few
It looks like it's plated. There are no known 1974-S aluminum cents, and no reason to suspect any were ever struck. There are millions of zinc-dipped, nickel/silver/chrome-plated, and mercury-rubbed cents, many of which look just like yours. So, the most likely conclusion is that you have a plated cent. Weigh it and see. Welcome to CoinTalk!
ya i agree the weight will tell the tail ill let ya know asap the weight because any other penny not going to weigh 0.93
Just saw this (from 8/16) on the front page of the Mint's website - https://www.usmint.gov/news/inside-the-mint/1974-experimental-aluminum-cent-project Interesting side note about 197(4) cents mentioned in the article - "Denver’s blanks were slightly larger than the ones used in Philadelphia"
If you don't have an exacting scale handy, perhaps consider a simple balancing test using a known zinc cent. While it's not going to be remotely conclusive, it should be enough to identify it as the plated cent it most likely is.
We have to go car-shopping this afternoon, taking the family to test seat comfort, so I'm hoping I won't be on pins and needles.
Let's look on the bright side here. The OP isn't arguing or insisting the coin is the real deal. They're not throwing a tantrum over responses that do not support their hopes, and is taking a very reasonable, albeit extreme long-shot approach. Perhaps, if we take the time to help and educate, this experience will lead them to developing a serious involvement in this hobby. It may be easy to forget, but each and every one of us had to start somewhere, and I'm guessing that most who've continued had someone kind enough to take our questions in stride, no matter how ridiculous they may have been.