Somebody I know found a weird colored 1974 penny the other day. It has a color that does not look like a copper penny at all. This person told me that it sticks to a magnet and weighs 3.1 grams. Could someone help me with this? Thanks
Picture needed. "Yellowish" implies brass, which is no more magnetic than pure copper. 3.1g implies pre-1982 copper, and excludes the 2.7g 1943 steel cents, the only ones a magnet would be attracted to. Bottom line - Your description makes no sense at all for a 1974 US cent, which would be 3.1g of non-magnetic copper.
Many Lincoln's will show a very yellow brass tone Many Lincoln's will show a very yellow brass tone. I have seen them in 1973 thru 1978, 1985, some in the 1990's and early sixties. The mint varied the composition 7 times over the course of the series officially and I suspect many more time unofficially. In 1962 they went from French Bronze to Brass and I have those that are almost butter yellow. I also opened a roll of 1942's and they were butter yellow. There is very little differents in the French Bronze composition than the brass, only a bit of tin. Whether they are magnitic or not I have no idea, I do not check such things but it sounds like a stretch to me. They do, and have come in many different shades of red, yellow, brass even some with blue streaks in them.
The US mint often minted coins for foreign nations, It could be a coin blank that was meant something foreign but got left in the hopper when they switched to US coins again. Just a guess.
Actually the mint had 8 different (official) changes in Actually the mint had 8 different (official) changes in cent composition from 1909, 2 were duplicates (french Bronze twice) and 2 were weight (steel cents) acording to "The Authoritive Reference" by Wexler. The planchets are made about 40 miles from where I sit exclusively for all post 1982 Lincoln Cents. With the changes in color that I have seen though I think many factors contribute to the way they have looked as they often appear very, very different.
Hey okay so check this out the penny you have described sounds like the exact one I have come across, it's a 1974 experimental penny made up of various different metals brass steel tin copper all kinds of shit I'm thinking they might be brass clad steel coated or plated or whatever
This penny was tested in front of me by a professional and the machine detected multiple different medals in this coin, it sticks to a magnet, and has a grayish core on the rim, the people at rare coins in Houston TX were all puzzled and interested as hell as to what this was. I'm assuming an experimental penny due to the price of copper during that time? It's a yellowish gold color.
I have a 2000 penny that looks gold in color and it stick to a magnet and weight 2.5 grams. Can someone tell what's up with this penny
Welcome to CT if I was you I would open your own thread in error coins this thread is from feb. 2017 Dave
Hi @Stephenshouse1….. These old threads tend to get overlooked. You would get better answers if you start a new thread…… I can tell you that many of these old cents were plated for various reasons. They weren’t done at the mint and they are pretty common to find in the wild.
Like Randy said, you'll do better starting a new thread, and posting photos. Yes, people like to plate cents with various things. Frequently, they'll plate them with nickel first, because it's easier to get other metals to stick to nickel. And nickel, pure nickel, IS strongly attracted to a magnet. (Nickel alloyed with copper isn't. That's why today's US nickels and clad coins aren't attracted to magnets.) Welcome to CoinTalk!
