This is really really going to sound silly to some (maybe all) but....what color would you use to describe these coins? I mean, I know what they mean when they call a wheat penny brown but, what exactly do they mean when they call one red? Which one is red? What makes a penny red? I am soo new to this. My husband bought a bag of wheat pennies a week or so ago, and I started to get pretty interested while going through all of them. I guess, I am getting confused though when it comes to the coloring system. Thank you for any responses back to my silly silly questions
the second one is red. all brand new pennies are this red color. someone who is more knowledgeable about this than I am will be along soon.
Old copper pennies usually turn brown because of the metal, this gives it a dark brown color which gives it the term BN. Newer pennies especially proofs have a shine to them, and if you look at them the color leans more towards red. RD. They have another color which is RB red brown which is right in the middle of the two colors.
A RED cent is one with at least 95% Red according to PCGS , a RED BROWN cent has 5% upto 95% red, and less than 5% red is a BROWN cent. The reference below shows one of each. NGC says above 85-90% red is RED, 15-20% up to 85-90% RED is RED BROWN, and below that is BROWN. Other authorities are usually around these figures http://www.pcgs.com/Articles/Detail/6101 http://www.ngccoin.com/coin-grading-guide/Grading-Lincoln-Cents.aspx Jim
What makes them Red? The Red happens to be the natural color of copper. As it reacts with other chemicals it forms compounds that result in the brown color.
for LLim82: Sometimes copper cents even get sick and turn green. Those sick coins are treated like outcasts, shunned with no salvation of making it into numismatic heaven. They bare this 'scarlet' letter of shame known as, verdi gris. Collectors separate their other coins from these green cents for good reason.
lima82 i would suggest beside reading these 2 articles this is what the grading company's except, you should get a scale mg /g scale something small and a copy of the book coin and prices... so you can weight your coins to examine them. some cotton gloves. this is the best place to learn the beginning .. we all have a wealth and years of experience.... i myself have been collecting for 22 year trading for 8 , sharing my knowledge for 3 but now , you need to find out how to spot counterfeits and stuff, and yes there are fake pennies.. most common fakes can be spoted by weight and details.., the Chinese have gotten really good at counterfeiting and even seasoned vets in the game get confused , please read up best place to start is get yourself a subscription to coin values , either electronically or snail mail.. then you can read past magazines to check out counterfeiting techniques.. happy collecting and"remember, research is key"
Thank you all so very much! I felt totally in the dark about the coloring system last night. I really app. all of your responses back to me. So sad that people make counterfeit coins, I had read about them counterfeiting the 1943 penny by shaving off half the date but I had no idea people countered others. I will make sure to sign up for coin values soon, Ty again everyone! You are the best
Interesting ! NGC used to follow the same rules that PCGS does in regard to color designation. They have obviously loosened those standards. Thanks for posting this as I was not aware of the change.
:welcome: LLim82, Your 1937 Brown Lincoln looks like it has a strong strike with very little circulation wear. But it looks to have Green corrosion eating at it. Maybe it was found buried in the ground for 60+ years. The more you read, the more you learn. Ask questions, as we all can learn from the answers. :thumb:
it was said before that the middle one is considered red or gem b.u. in a raw state. what i would suggest you get 2x2 's and start cataloging them, keep them all.. its worth it. then you can place them in an album. or in a dansco album if you want to make sets.. alot of people prefer dansco or intercept shield , personally me i prefer a snaplock capsule with intercept shield/
