Hi I need help determining if a coin i found is in fact a brass 1859 one cent. hopefully someone can help me... Thanks in advance!!
I know you meant 1859. I can't help you but there was another thread about the brass cent: http://www.cointalk.com/t123872/ Bill pops in occasionally and may be able to give you some answers.
The only way to really know if it is brass requires some high end equipent that bombards it with xrays and then analyses the x-rays readmited by the coin to determine what the chemical composition is. (Each element will re-radiate a specific frequency of x-ray telling you what elements are there, and the strength of the emmission tell you how much of the element is there.) You CAN"T tell for sure by looking at the color of the coin.
Conder101 is correct. Analysis is the only factual way to tell the differance. Too many TPG companies will use glass or a diamond and scratch the coin on the rim.......unreliable at best. Any wd40 bath with an 1859 penny left too long will look just like yours.
I don't know....from wikipedia: "WD-40's formula is a trade secret. The product is not patented to avoid completely disclosing its ingredients.[2] WD-40's main ingredients, according to U.S. Material Safety Data Sheet information, are: 50%: Stoddard solvent (i.e., mineral spirits – primarily hexane, somewhat similar to kerosene) 25%: Liquefied petroleum gas (presumably as a propellant; carbon dioxide is now used instead to reduce WD-40's considerable flammability) 15+%: Mineral oil (light lubricating oil) 10-%: Inert ingredients"
