1951 Steel Wheat Penny

Now, obviously this can't be genuine. Has anyone ever seen anything like it?

 

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I'm sure you have tested it with a magnet and confirmed that it does indeed stick to the magnet (like anyone knows a steel cent will do).

 

It does indeed stick to a magnet, though only weakly. I believe a genuine coin would jump at a magnet. I just really want to know the story behind this coin.

 

Does it look like it is plated?

Welcome to CoinTalk!

 

I wouldn't know off-hand what a plated coin would look like. As I said it sticks weakly to a magnet, and is noticeably heavier. It was pulled from a roll. Why would anyone create a plated penny? To try to fool a collector for profit?

Thanks for the welcome.

 

OK. Here's the story.


It's plated.

 

You're a clever one. Why would one plate a penny?

 

because Joe Public likes and pays more for things that are shinny :smile

:welcome:

 

Could have been used as jewelry, or as a pocket piece in some sort of a commercial or commemorative surround. I suspect it's the plating that interacts with your magnet.

 

Typical chem experiment.