1984 D penny - aluminum? or Zinc? ERROR??

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by mpaulson, Apr 15, 2007.

  1. mpaulson

    mpaulson New Member

    SEarching my rolls today I found a silverish penny, a 1984D, thought it was another Lamination error as I have found a two before that the copper was either removed or missing, but this time, the coin is very light to the feel and has the Oxide layer on the silver color, I don't have a scale capable of weighting to the hundreds today, but perhaps I will get it soon. but any ideas how to tell what's happened here? Any ideas? the sound of it hitting the table sounds similar to the zinc ones, so maybe it's not aluninum?
    Dr.P
     

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  3. gxseries

    gxseries Coin Collector

    I'm not convienced that it's aluminium. Zinc are often more greyish then what I do happen to see unless there is too much lightening there. Alternatively it could be copper being stripped and then plated with another layer of metal but I can't quite tell what it is.
     
  4. hamman88

    hamman88 Spare some change, sir?

    If if feels like it only weighs a small fraction of a normal penny, then it is aluminum.
     
  5. toddestan

    toddestan New Member

    That looks unusually shiny for a cent missing the copper layer (usually the zinc oxides easily, turning it a dull dark grey). Who knows what might have happened to it though, try weighing it.
     
  6. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    It has the appearance of a coin that has had the copper removed by acid - which would explain the low weight.
     
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  7. Doug21

    Doug21 Coin Hoarder

    How could it be aluminum ? Why would there be aluminum planchets at the mint ?
     
  8. hamman88

    hamman88 Spare some change, sir?

    foreigns coins are minted there,too
     
  9. Doug21

    Doug21 Coin Hoarder

    I know they've done foreign stuff at times, didn't that practice stop long before 1984 ?
     
  10. LSM

    LSM Collector

    Foreign coins where minted in the United States mint until 1984. The foreign coins minted in 1984 where from Panama.

    half balboa
    quarter balboa
    10 centisimo
    1 centisimo

    All where minted at the Philadelphia mint.

    Lou
     
  11. hamman88

    hamman88 Spare some change, sir?

    were foreighn coins minted in the u.s before 1984 minted in denver?
     
  12. LSM

    LSM Collector

    Yes they where. Denver, San Francisco, West Point and Philadelphi.
    Dever minted coins for the Philippines.

    Lou
     
  13. hamman88

    hamman88 Spare some change, sir?

    maybe the planchet was left over from the year before, or the coin was minted in the later part of 1983
     
  14. eddiespin

    eddiespin Fast Eddie

    I've got the same thing but with some traces of the copper still there. I'm just wondering where the silver coloring comes from. These scans may not be the best, btw...
     

    Attached Files:

  15. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator


    A list of all foriegn coinage struck by the US Mint, and when, can be found - HERE
     
  16. LSM

    LSM Collector

    The coins struck in 1983 where the 1 and 10 centisimos from Panama.

    Lou
     
  17. hamman88

    hamman88 Spare some change, sir?

    and those were not aluminum
     
  18. LSM

    LSM Collector

    They where copper-nickel clad copper.

    Lou
     
  19. bqcoins

    bqcoins Olympic Figure Skating Scoring System Expert

    weigh that bad boy!
     
  20. asciibaron

    asciibaron /dev/work/null

    it's a regular copper plated Lincoln cent that has been to a high school science class. i have a few that have been dipped in acid to remove the copper. luckily they weren't variety coins - that would have made me cry.

    -Steve
     
  21. mpaulson

    mpaulson New Member

    yes, there is a ton of lightening, I think it's zinc not Al, but I will get the scale tommarow at work I have one there my postal scale doesn't show the difference. it's actually very gray when just looked at, also seems to be very detailed in terms of the surface and details, so i am not totally sure if orgaionally had the copper and was removed..


     
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