1997 unusual penny

This thread was a painful read. I would like to present OP with a link from a previous post of a similarly modified coin:
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/19...g-size-un-plated-wrong-planchet-ideas.222451/
Plus, with marginal amounts of google-fu other posts in other forums can easily be found.

My guess is that it was flattened between two pieces of leather, possibly some of the fields removed with a dremel, and finally plated with mercury (or possibly just soldering led... with a small chance they used electrolysis to put a more permanent coating of a more substantial alloy..)

Now to answer OPs question: "why would someone do this?"
Have you ever worked as a machine operator. Occasionally on a bad day a machine will crash and all hell will break loose. However, 90% of an operator's time is spent watching machines do their thing, feeding stock and checking tolerances. It's boring and mindnumbing. However, in a higher end production facility, a machine operator is surrounded by millions of dollars of high end awesome machining technology. Presses and lathes and mills and presses, acid bathes, welders, etc. For a person with Tim Allen mentality (hu hu huh, Tool Time), it's like a kid in a candy store. It's not a question of why does someone do something like this... In the right situation, it's a question of why not?

 

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Yes! Why not!
Excellent Post!

 

That would explain the 'size', but I am not certain that the solder or plating to increase the weight by the amount stated would not be seen. I will wait for the data from the OP.

 

Good luck.

 

I dunno... All we can really do is guess (which I find to be a fun mind bender).

Given that this is a recurring thread topic over time, I'm about 98.75% sure OPs coin did not leave the mint like that. At some point we'll discover this is the result of lesser known physical science experiment or something.

If a person worked at a facility with a large vat of zinc at melting point, it would be super easy to dip the cent in the zinc vat. Once the zinc core melted, the the external copper would crush like a soda can for a moment before re solidifying.

I just put a glob of solder on a zinc cent with a propane torch to see what would happen. It just rolled off. Then the zinc core collapsed... I didn't really put much effort into this experiment. Maybe with a bit better temperature control... nah, don't care..)

 

Now I respect your opinion, and I just bought the coin will be here in a few days, the seller told me the other info, but had the pics from the purchase, tell me more about this off metal, is that from a mint coin or do you think it could be altered by somebody?

 

I have found other examples of this coin online, but the same question is asked it is bigger than a regular cent , now there’s looked I plated to but didn’t really see the lines in it that this coin has..

 

No
w the last pic I just posted is of my coin compared to a regular cent

 

The back of my coin the last pic here

 

For how much?