37' Steel Penny??? Help

I found this in an unopened bank bag full of wheats? Anybody ever seen one and is it as rare as I think it is? Pretty Mint? I am really new to all this so advise is welcome.

 

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Mercury/steel plated. Post mint damage

 

What do you mean? Someone made it like this?

 

Yep. It didn't come that way from the mint. It would be nice if you could weigh it(in grams) and post back

 

it weighs 3.3 grams

 

And it will be non-magnetic. Steel cents were only issued in 1943 (with a couple of 44's slipping through the cracks). No others were minted using steel planchets. But most every year has been plated to look like steel. Those of us who have been collecting coins for awhile have found dozens of these in circulation!

 

Well that stinks. Thanks for saving me some grading money

 

A normal 1937 cent weighs 3.11 grams. Add on a little for the extra metal and there you go. The only other remotely possible option is stuck on a dime planchet (blank coin), but this is not it because the whole design is present and a 1937 dime would weigh 2.5 grams. And if you look, you can see some copper around the sides.

 

But you can always put it in a 2x2 and sell it at a garage sale or flea market. I bet I've sold twenty-five of these plated Lincolns, and I can usual get a buck or a buck fifty each.

 

Too bad it's not as rare as you had hoped. Still its a novelty item and collectors still like to stick them in their collections.

 

I remember back in high school chem lab we would dip a cent in mercury and rub it between thumb and forefinger to make a "silver" (colored) penny.

This was way back in the 1950's when you could play with mercury (without calling a haz-mat team)!

 

Yeah, and sometimes we would chrome plate them in metal or auto shop. Even tried galvanizing a few.

 

Just thought I would update this. My penny is fully magnetic. I contacted the US Mint and they asked if I would send it in for authentifacation. They stated that alloy testing was going on with the penny at that time and some 37' test pennies (very few)contained levels of steel. Samples were to be disgarded but one comfirmed standard colored 37' penny with steel properties got out the door and was found. If mine is authenticated then they stated that it would be the only one known to exsist. I hope it turns out real but who knows.

 

Well, it could be 'iron contamination' also. I was very skeptical of this until I read the following:

http://www.icgcoin.com/Default.aspx?tabid=752

 

Fully magnetic? Are you saying it jumps to the magnet like a piece of steel?
Sorry. I'm not buying this.

 

Does the U.S. Mint offer this service? Why not just send it off to a TPG?

 

If you send it to the mint and it is authentic, you may not get it back.

 

Yes, I can hover the magnet over it and it will jump to it. I'm a 35 year old grown man. I'm not on here to BS people. I started this thread in hope of gaining some knowledge about this coin. Through my own research I found new info and may possibly get out authenticated. If and I stress IF that were to happen I think it would be great for everyone who loves to collect, because it's the dream of finding something truly rare that gets me pumped about bags of change. So trust me when I post something about this coin it will be true. I have a wife and 2 year old daughter to chase around and don't have time to play games so some may do on here. If the US Mint tells me it's crap then I will post that as well. Thanks

 

Don't sent it to the mint... that would be a huge mistake. Send it to either NGC or PCGS... they will authenticate it, grade it, place it in a holder and send it back to you. If you send this coin to the mint, chances are that's the last you'll ever see (or hear) of it.

 

I am not getting it graded. I was told that if you send it to a grading company and they deem it fake or something along those lines they will just toss it and you are out your money. Plus if it is legit how do I estimate a value on a 1 of a kind. I am so new to all this I really am lost. I am just wanting it to be done. Fake or authentic just confirmed either way. I hope I get lucky