I Have Recently Accuired What Looks To Be An Off-metal 1976 Cent.does Anybody Have An Idea Of What The Value May Be?
Howdy sunsetdave - Welcome to the Forum !! The first thing to do is determine if it really is an off metal cent. Odds are it is a plated coin. You can determine that by weighing the coin. If it is genuine - the next thing is to determine the grade of the coin as that will have a huge bearing on its value. Can you post pics of the coin ?
Well I see what ya mean about the color - but that could be due to toning or the coin being plated. Your best bet would be to weigh the coin on a scale that measures to .00 grams. But fi you don't have access to such a scale - try comparing the off color coin to a normal one dated before 1982. You can do this easily at home. Place each coin on the end of a pencil, popsicle stick or ruler. Then place your finger or something else in the middle. If it balances - the coins weigh the same of course - but they should not if they are of different metals. Your coin should be heavier or lighter. If it is heavier - it may well be plated. But if it is lighter - well now maybe you've got something
It is quite common for cents to be plated with silver, nickel - even platinum has been used. It is a mciroscopically thin layer of other metal overlaid on the original coin. It is done quite often as an experiment by high school chemistry students. It is also done by many novelty companies who then sell the coins to the public. These plated coins are considered damaged and/or altered and have no value.
Gdjmsp Thanks For All Your Help And Insite Into This Cent. However, The Story May Not Stop Here. I Had Gotten This Coin As Change About Three Years Ago And Decided To Put It Away For A Rainy Day. Also, I Am Not A Coin Collector. Maybe I'm Digging Deep To Find Some Value In This Coin. My Last Question About My " Lucky Find". Have You Ever Heard If A Cent Being Plated With Copper? It Looks To Me That The Ware In Curculation Has Left This Coin Silver, Leaving A More Faint Copper Look Deep In The Grooves. Your Thoughts.
I can sympathize with your desire to find a prince under the skin of that frog you picked up, but his Royal Highness just isn't hiding there. A 1976 U.S. cent is 19mm wide, weighs 3.11 grams, and was struck on a planchet consisting of a 95% copper alloy, with the other 5% being a mixture of tin and zinc. When it left the mint it was not plated with anything. In addition to the possibility that your coin has been plated in a high school science experiment, or otherwise, you have to also remember that copper is a very reactive metal. It can, and frequently does, take on a multitude of colors from contact with air pollution and/or other metals, acids, alkaline materials, etc., etc., etc. Occasionally the metals in the alloy will separate, causing even more unusual effects on the appearance of a piece of copper alloy. Copper plating a 1976 cent would simply add a negligible amount to its weight, without otherwise affecting its appearance. There is no silver to be "worn down" on a 1976 cent! To a merchant or a coin collector your piece is worth US$.01. (The collector would only be interested in it as legal tender, not as an addition to his/her collection.)
I think it more likely that the coin was plated with silver and in places the wear or thinness of the pating is allowing the copper to show through.
