I have a question about a coin that has actually fallen into my lap. It's a 2004 penny that is perfectly normal in every aspect except that is white. Looks to me made out of the same material as a dime, but it is just a penny. Smooth edge like a penny a D under the date. I really don't care about the cost but I would like to know about how it is why it is. I'm pretty sure it's not plated (i have been told by two diffrent pawn shop owners, one who wanted to buy it, but neither knew why it was what it is). I will post pictures of it tomorrow if I can them on here but if anyone knows if they did a special running or any kind of common mistakes that could have resulted in the making of it, I would be very appreciated of it.
It may be that the copper coating 'fell off' and what you are seeing is the zin core. but a picture would help.
It could be a from a high school science project on electroplating. http://www.finishing.com/faqs/howworks.html …makes me almost want to go find my high school freshman science teacher and give her a big hug. edit Hmm. Now I can't get my own link to work
It could be plated...or there is a 50% chance that its a 11 cent coin...a cent struck on a dime planchet...if you can weigh it and also post photos it would be great! Speedy
I thought coins struck on the wrong planchets are ultra-rare. A dime planchet will most likely not fill a penny, leaving the coin out of round. Dose the penny have a rim? Is it much thinner than normal pennies or dimes? Is the edge two-toned like a dime (silvery and copper layers)? You can weigh it like suggested. Dose the penny feel greasy in your hand? If so, it’s could be coated with mercury.
No--In the 5 years of collecting I have seen a hand full of 11 cent coins....now they are rare but no ultra... When a dime planchet is struck in a cent die it would spread out to the right size...that is why I asked for the weight...the dimes I saw had what could be called a rim..it was like a half rim. since the planchet spreads out a little it might be hard to find the clad layers... Now as I said...there is only a 50% chance that I'm right...in fact more than likely its plated... If it's a 11 cent coin I have seen them sell for $300 plus... Speedy
If its a penny struck on a dime planchet, its technically not an "11 cent" coin, just a wrong planchet. 11 cent coins are struck dimes that were again struck by cent dies. Those are a bit more rare, but again, not ultra rare. By the description I'd say its either a plated penny, or a struck unplated zinc planchet. If it had been a 2004 with the copper layer removed, it'd appear pitted and typically a darker grey color.
Oh... your link works alright. The hosting company took the page down for some reason. The person was probably giving information out that could cause injury if an unskilled person attempted to follow the instructions.
Thanks a lot to everyone. It feels smooth like a dime and doesn't leave the feeling that pennies will. It doesn't smell like a penny either. It doesn't have a slimy feel. I will be picking the coin up tomorrow from my grandmother's house and will take pictures of it.
Are you tell us that pennies feel slimmy to you, and this coin doesn't have that penny feeling? Wouldn't the smell of the coin have somethig to do with where it is stored. If it really smells bad, I would quit handling it if I were you. Hard to tell where it has been.
Does it look like this? Zinc plated at an undisclosed location. Here’s the high tech laboratory used to do it
The mint occasionally releases some cents struck on unplated planchets. These are worth up to $100 in some cases but be very wary because they are easily faked. The coin should be fully lustrous but will still need pro- fesional attribution to sell.
Besides the penny and the gator clips what else is in the shot glass. Also what is the solution used for the process. That looks like fun.
I’ll post something on the in general discussion. I don’t want to get in trouble for highjacking the thread any more than I have.
