Hey guys my coin world friends .can somebody explain this to me. I'm sitting here testing the gram scale here . I know normally most people don't bother testing out these things too often, but I was playing with my little gram scale that I use for Weight coins. because I am no longer at my old apartment ,I don't have all the equipment. I normally got my own coin station but what I do have is what you see here a small microgram scale, which is actually quite reliable. it weighs things pretty well and ... Here's my golden question why does my 1982 Denver mint penny weigh 3.12 g, I thought they were supposed to weigh 2.5... I understand there's a weight measurement tolerance but this is really my curiosity because I waited on two different scales and it still weighs 3.1 grams... Is there any reports or information about the exact weight tolerances for certain coins in Lincoln wheat series Lincoln memorial series and Lincoln shield series??? Are there any reports previous findings that I can compare to..
That year the 1 cent u.s. coin experienced a 'transition year'. The metallic content percentages were flopped around quite a bit. This changed the weight of the planchet. Between the mints involved and the new weight, old weight planchets as I understand it, let loose 7 different mm's with this weight, mm's with that weight. No biggy except for a specific combination of those features on the 1982 D small date weighing 3.11 gm . I think they have found two to date. I should have noted the new weight beginning "83 and tail end of "82 would be 2.5 grm. One more edit. to answer your question. Your 1982 D apparently has the large date, that is why it weighs that .
I have several different and cheap small scales. I bought a set of weights to test them and pitched one in the trash for inaccuracy. The ones I kept all read the same from .05 up to a little over 55 grams. Then they start to deviate about +/- .04 grams. It gets worse at 100 grams. I'm waiting to find a small scale that weighs up to 200 grams with a +/- of .005 grams. I got accustom to using a Mettler balance with .0005 accuracy in the old days.
I have a Brifit 0.03 gm to 200.00 from China that works well. Off A....n for $15.99. With chinese battery that lasted three years without corroding. It came with a 50.00 gm calibration weight with storage slot. Rarely goes out of cal.. Open it up , slide a new nickel on it and walah 5.00 gm. And of course you could put the supplied 50 gm to the test too.
Last ones I bought from e-bay was 10 that weighed up to 200 g +/- 0.01 g. They cost me about $3 each. I bought them for a flea market dealer friend who sold them at $10 each. I have one and it works fine.
I should have added that the source of all that info you seek about U.S. coin weight, diameters specs., number minted, years issued ect. can be found in one source. The Official Red Book. Complete guide to U.S. coins.
I like the Coin World Almanac. Has all the US issues' specs in 2 or 3 pages. Here is an excerpt for quarter dollars.
