I found this penny and I was wondering if anyone could offer any information on how much this might be worth. It appears to be a regular everyday penny without the copper plating. You can find the pic here if you would like to see it. I don't believe it's been tampered with. If anyone can offer any information it's be greatly appreciated.
where is the pic. someone here i am sure can help you with a little bit more info. thanks for posting and welcome.
Welcome, Haley_Foxhog. You might try scraping a little off the edge of the coin. You should see the copper plating underneath. Plating coins is a common jr. high school science class experiment.
I already did scrape at it, and nothing came off of it so I think it might just be authentic. Still doesn't tell me the value though lol
Well, if nothing came off, then you didn't scrape it hard enough. lol As far as telling you the value, only the person that buys it will be able to do that.
After looking at your small picture, I voted "I'd have to see it". There simply isn't enough detail in the picture to form any opinion. I'm assuming that the picture's color is off, because I think that if the coin is really that color it's been messed with.
No, you're right it is a really crap happy picture... It's a lot shinier if you see it in person, and actually has more of a silver color to it. I just don't know how to take a better picture of it or else I would have already.
1989 unplated penny I have just found a 1989 "unplated penny" as well. I was wondering if it could be real or just wear. Mine is not as shiny as your picture but has no evidence of copper plating. Any-hoo, maybe I could retire after all?
Well as others have eluded to, many of these coins were altered in High Schools and Middle schools across the country. On very rare occasions, the plating can come off of Lincoln cents. If you believe that yours is in this very small case, have it certified.
If I had a clue on where to get it certified, I would. I really can't think of any coin dealers in my area that aren't in pawn shops. Any suggestions?
http://www.ngccoin.com http://www.pcgs.com http://www.anacs.com All three are certification companies. You must be a member to submit to them. If you are an ANA member, NGC allows submissions through them. If that doesn't help. http://anamarket.money.org/ This is a link to the ANA dealers guide. Look for a dealer that is close to you. That is about the best that I can do for you.
If the one cent piece has a "shiny" appearance to it, it has probably been plated, most likely with mercury (don't pu it in your mouth!), possibly with silver or ?. If it has a dull gray appearance , it probably has no plating. This is not an uncommon error, howevr, it can be easily faked. I have stripped the plating off a number of zinc Lincolns using electronic circiut board etch (acid). You can find many experts at this site: http://groups.msn.com/ErrorWorld Joe
I also have one of these pennys. I came to this forum to find out what it was. It has no copper. I use pennys for golf ball markers, and this one looked like the war pennys. I noticed that on the edges it was shiny steel, not copper. The face is blue/gray color. Stange looking for a Lincoln 1989 penny. Ken Needs
Hi Ken, and welcome. Those off color cents are confusing, aren't they? One of the most widely asked questions, on coin forums, is "how much is my silver penny worth?"
Welcome to the forum Ken. As pointed out in several of the earlier postings on this thread, the current composition of Lincoln cents is copper-plated zinc, and what you are describing sounds exactly like one that has lost its copper plating through chemical or electorlitic means. To verify that the" steel" edge isn't, just try to pick the coin up with a magnet. -That compostion has been used since mid-1982, and the coins weigh 2.5g instead of the former 3.11g. If the weight of your coin varies substantially from 2.5g, you have something worth further investigation. If not, you have something worth exactly 1¢.
Unplated Lincoln Cent On 5/22/11 a 1983 Unplated Lincon Cent certified by NGC sold in Teletrade coin auction for $260 adding tax and auction fees the total cost was $355. I personally have 6 unplated lincolns. They are US mint errors
lOffhand, I would vote for plated. I have found several plated cents while roll searching. My latest one was a gold plated 2001 D. The copper plating on the cent makes it an excellent candidate for plating and an excellent teaching tool I don't think it has much added value though
For heaven's sake get a magnet and see if is attracted to it. If it is attracted, it is made of some kind of ferrous metal ie: steel, iron, tin. Not like a normal 95%zinc, 5% copper cent. Next weigh it, take it to a coin dealer or jeweler. If you don't have a scale get a emery board or some small flat stick about 4 inches, 10 centimeters long and balance two similar cents using a small round pencil or AAA battery. Mark the fulcrum or mid point where the battery was. Glue the battery or pencil at that mid point. Next glue one of the cents to one end. After it is set check both cents again for balance. When okay weigh your " unplated cent ". If it is heavier than a normal cent it probably is plated. But if it lighter then you really have something that needs to be sent to a TPG'er, PGS, NGS, ANACS. But this doesn't preclude it is a fake yet if it is heavier. The planchette material could make it very unique and rare. Don't forget Lincoln cents 1983--2011 weigh 2.5 grams. The 1943 steel coated zinc Lincoln cents 2.7 grams. jUST HANDLE WITH TLC!
Boy, there's a lot of what ifs about this " silver cent". Such as: 1) What if it is attracted to a magnetic and it is heavier than 2.5 grams? Say 2.7 to 3.0 grams. What then? 2) If it is lighter than 2.5 gram and attracted to a magnet, what then? Maybe it is a steelie? Whoa that's big time stuff. 3) Last case is if it is heavier than 2.5 grams and is NOT attracted by a magnet? Is it Plated or a wrong planchette material was used. ???