The copper ones are heavier, and sometimes the cent will have the woodgrain effect, making it copper, or it will have bubbled plating, making it zinc.
that's good to know. I was simply talking about recognizing a small date from a large date the large dates have a 2 that looks like this: and the small dates have a 2 that looks like this:
Oh, ok. I usually look at the 8 in the date when determining if it is small or large date. I don't have pictures, but I think that it is easier to tell the differance. Edit; I noticed james m. wolfe has pictures of both.
on this web page: http://www.lincolncentresource.com/smalldates/1982.html there is a instruction how to create your own "scale" for copper and zinc pennies. Out of a popsicle stick or tongue depressor and a wooden rod. Really low tech but will work.
Ok so I have 3 large dates and 1 small date. Is there any other way to tell if they are copper or zinc besides the scale?
As I said earlier, you can see woodgrain on some copper cents and bubble plating on some zinc ones, but otherwise, it is difficult. The strikes on zinc cents are slightly different. I recommend that you make a "teeter toter" scale with a popsicle stick, a straw, and a zinc cent. You tape the straw to the center of the popsicle stick and a zinc cent to one side. When you put the copper cent on one side, it should fall on that side. If you put a zinc cent on the other side of the scale, it should even out or not do anything. Once you separate the zinc ones from the copper ones, look at the differences between them to start being able to tell without a scale.
