Looks like a variety 3 mint. Appears 100% authentic to me. The counterfeiters typically blow it on the "B" initial. An authentic VDB has the...
You must have had a positive impact. It no longer appears to be there.
Other than 1943, US minted steel cents do not exist. There are many privately plated cents making the rounds though.
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I think I did that once.
Fully concur with the fellas above. It's a high school science experiment in metal plating. Welcome to CT
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