If it's smaller than a nickel, does the whole design show on the coin? If not it could be a silver dime planchet and weigh 2.5 grams. If it is a silver cent-size planchet, it should weigh 3.63 grams. A bronze cent planchet from 1957 weighs 3.11 grams. Because coin silver is more dense than the bronze used in coining US cents the weight of a silver coin would be slightly higher. Coin silver has a density of 10.335 g/ml while "coin bronze" has a density of about 8.853 g/ml.
If it was a silver dime planchet there would not be enough metal to form the normal rim shape of a cent. Could some employee make exact size of silver planchet , upset the edge , stop a cent press and put the single planchet in by hand and strike a few silver cents? I wouldn't spend my money on the odds. Take it to a bullion shop or jeweler that has a XRD , plunk down the cost of the test ( usually 50-$100), send it to PCGS or NGC, or put a drop of HCL on the cent. If it is Zinc it will release hydrogen bubbles .
My guess is either mercury-amalgamated or chrome-plated. I have a couple of amalgamated copper coins that have that same shininess. Any chrome-plated coins I've seen show signs if deterioration of the plating after a while, allowing the base coin to show through with a corroded appearance. After looking at the middle image a little longer, I see that same plating deterioration on and around the rims. I'm going with chrome-plated.
If this is the case then why are there not multitudes of different dates and mint marks of these chemistry coins? Am i the only one that thinks its odd that these "experiments" all are the same mint and date?
I too just found a 1957D silver penny! My massive youtube research tells me Edited: Please read the rules. No political comments/discussions allowed.
There are a multitude of different dates and mint marks that are plated. Spend a little time searching on this forum, and you will see many different. If there are a lot of 1957 d plated cents, I would say it could be because there was some sort of promotion where a business had a bunch plated and used them as a giveaway or something of the like. Regardless of the reason, they are simply altered coins.
I apologize for breaking the rules. Thought it was a funny jab at no political side other than conspiracy weirdos. Just meant to be funny.
You mean you also have a regular, normal 1957-D wheat penny that someone altered after it left the mint.
I found this one today. The outer rim is also copper but has a spot where bit is not. I tried a small magnet but it didn't pick it up??
If they can not be picked up with a magnet, they are NOT steel, they are normal cents plated for appearance and not by mint so of no value beyond normal face. Here is a science experiment performed hundreds or thousand of times a semester around the US in beginning chemistry, it started about the time of Sputnik to increase science knowledge to catch up with the Russian space race. The students are "amazed and make many of all dates available ' and then lose them, or give to others , or try to sell them on eBay or etsy. https://www.sciencecompany.com/Turn-Copper-Pennies-Into-Silver-and-Gold-Pennies.aspx
Try reading the thread next time rather than asking the same question that has been asked and answered 10,000 times.
Whoa! First of all, I am new. Second of all, I did read it and many others found the same or similar 1957 D and per what I did read there has been no answer to what it could be. Some people's did react to a magnet and some did not. I apologise if my question marks bothered you but don't be rude. I was just simply sharing what I just found mintutes agoaand was excited to find actually. Thanks.
No answer to what it could be? Then you have a reading comprehension problem. The "Hi I am new and just found a silver penny" is a meme here. Literally dozens of threads all asking the same question about the same silverish pennys. Any 3 second Google search would tell you they are altered, PMD novelty coins.... worth 1 cent.
Thank you! This girl has literally only recently started learning about ALL of this. I appreciate your kindness.
I found this in my search. It indeed seems to be a thing and they are valuable. This one sold for $2,800+ in 2005. AU58 https://coins.ha.com/itm/errors/195...-12144.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515
Totally different, that one is struck on a dime planchet. A cent struck on a dime planchet would have the same weight as a dime, be smaller and much thinner than a cent.