so i grabbed this out of circulation this morning. i'm assuming it's zinc as it's not magnetic, but i haven't a way to weigh it with sufficient accuracy. i'm also assuming pmd to remove the copper plating, but it doesn't seem pitted and rough like i'd expect a chemically-altered coin to look like. there's also some luster (?) on the reverse in between the pillars, but it's hard to get the effect in the photo. some kind of punch mark on the date as well. overall it's pretty rough. i probably shouldn't even be asking, but what are the chances this cent came from the mint like this?
This one looks PMD to me...There is a chance though that it could be a unplated one from the mint, because as you said it doesn't have too much of a pitted appearence like a acid bath or some sort would cause.
As crazy as it sounds, I am thinking that cent left the mint without the plating on it, but I'm no expert. That's a rare find even if it is PMD though, I've never seen one like that, and I've searhed over 200 boxes worth You should definitely weigh it though.
i was sure it was a steel cent when i came across it, so i didn't even take a good look at it right away. then once i saw the date i thought it was perhaps an altered date steel cent, so i tested it for magnetism. no steel. without being able to weigh it, i suppose it's possible that it's been plated with something. but it's so beat up that i would expect the plating to have worn through enough to see a difference. i've been meaning to get to a coin dealer one of these days to take in a bunch of odd pieces. guess i'll have to add this to the pile.
If you get it slabbed and it does come back a mint error unplated, those usually fetch a pretty penny (no pun intended ). Nice coin though, especially since it's my birth year
i just ran over to amazon and picked up a 0.01g digital scale. had been meaning to do that for a while now, but i needed something to push me over the edge. we'll see how things look in about a week!
I found one of those a few months ago and just threw it with the rest of my change cause I thought it was just PMD. Now I'm second guessing myself.
i'm still leaning hard towards pmd, but that small little hope of a real mint error is enough to keep me curious.
I did a science experiment 3 years ago at my middle school where we removed the zinc layer from post-1982 pennies.... I forget what we used but I thought that it was very neat.
I don't think it really removes it, just makes it change color. That said, for probably the first time ever I think this one is a real unplated. Doesn't have that science project look most have.
I didn't know that. But if I was the OP i would take it to some local coin shows and get some other opinions on it. It makes a whole lot of difference when you see things in person,... especially coins. And if the majority think that it is the real deal, send it to NGC or PCGS to get it certified.
i think that's the plan. but i'm gonna wait until i can get a weight on it to see if it falls within the range of an unplated cent before getting too excited about it.
so this means i could heat the cent for a little while, and if it's a chemistry set product it should change color to gold? hmm. a little heat wouldn't hurt an unplated zinc cent, so there's no harm in trying. right?
I wouldn't try it. It probably would discolor if you heated it up even if it was a genuine error coin, not to mention zinc has a very low melting temperature! Leave it as it is, or other people will have an even harder time believing it's genuine.
Weight isn't likely to help you. The cent has a tolerance range of +/- .1 grams, and the plating only weighs .05 grams. So whether the plating is there or not, or if a regular coin has had another plating added, they will all very likely fall within the tolerance range of a normal cent.
well shoot. can't weigh it, can't heat it, can't clean it, can't eat it. guess i'll have to take it to someone and have it looked at.
I have see a few copper less cents 99.% were found in a mint sealed bag.Bu I would say have ck.But found in change there is a very small but hope chance its real ??? :thumb:DG may have the answer Above
The problem is that the key to identifying a non-plated cent is original surfaces and undisturbed luster. Once a piece enters circulatio the highly reactive surface of the zinc loses those surfaces and luster through wear and corrosion and soon becomes indistinguishable from a cent that has been messed with.
Well before you do, look very very carefully with a strong light and magnifier on the high areas and rims of both sides. If it was generated by chemical means, you might find small area that might show a copperish color, as the chemicals might not have reacted with areas that contacted or came very close to the inner part of the beaker.
