1969 S

weighs 3.10 grams. could it be copper?

 

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It is copper and worth one cent.

 

All Lincoln cents are 95% copper (3.11gms) until the Mint switched to Crappy Zincolns sometime in 1982.

 

Hmmm...I have pennies from the ‘60s that weigh 3.6 grams and this one weighs 3.10. I thought they changed to zinc in the late ‘60s but the sf mint minted a few on copper by mistake 69-70 timeframe. That is why I thought this might be one of those.

 

The proper weight is 3.11 so yours is normal.

 

It's a normal copper cent. It's worth what the reverse states.

 

Technically it's brass, but who cares.

 

Chart is from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_(United_States_coin)

 

If you have some pennies from the 60's that weigh 3.6gms, could you take a photo of the edges with the one that weighs 3.11gms next to them for comparison? It's possible that the overweight pennies were struck on thicker planchets.

 

Yes, for some reason a little zinc was added to the copper plating solution, so when the zinc planchets went into the plater they then, technically, were coated with brass.

 

Will do. Thanks. I didn’t think of that. Most of my pennies from that time weigh 3.6 but this one is 3.11

 

The specification for pre-1982 copper cents is 3.11 grams +/- 0.13 grams. That means a cent weighing between 2.98 – 3.24 grams is normal. If most of your cents weigh 3.6 grams, it sounds like your scale may need to be calibrated