New to collecting and started working on my whitman folder and noticed all the difference in the 82 pennies. Is there a easy way to tell the difference between the zinc and copper?
this is crude, but easy. bounce a pre1982 cent flat on a hard surface and a post one as well. You will notice a very different sound. Then do the same for the 1982 cents and you will be able to tell. Or, you could weigh them if you have a scale...
Yes, you would need a small digital scale... But if you find any really nice 1982s, don't risk bouncing them!!! then get a popsicle stick and balance them to see which is heavier.
Just searched 3000 pennies for my folder and now i have about 100 or so 82s just need to figure out which ones go where in teh folder lol
Totally agree with bobbeth87 Invest in a small digital scale- it's well worth it! I use a digital jewelry scale (including calibration weights) that I purchased on E-Bay. Copper cent will weigh around 3.11g and all zinc cents will be around 2.50g (approx 20% lighter than copper) Real easy to tell the diff by weight.
.......don't forget to weigh all your 1983 cents. they are the ones that can bring you the big bucks. there were some 95% copper planchets struck for that year by mistake.
