ALUMINUM PENNY 1974 vs. NON-COPPER PENNY 1972-Denver Mint

CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT OTHER COINS WERE MADE AT THE DENVER MINT THAT MAY CONTAIN ELEMENTS OTHER THAN COPPER (LIKE THE PENNY) from 1970 - 1974? Or, can it be researched somehow...and I don't mean on-line (no luck there)...when a penny is NOT COATED, and the color of silver is revealed by a scratch, how do I know what that penny was made from? I weighed it, its less than a regular copper penny, and its magnetic enough to attach to a cheap magnet. However, it is a penny from 1972, not 1974. My thinking is that it went thru on another planchet. Any help or ideas would be appreciated. I am new to this, I guess that is obvious! But please be kind, and I really do appreciate sincere help.

NEWS TODAY: I TOOK MY PENNY INTO A PCG MEMBER AND HE AUTHENTICATED IT AS A TRUE PENNY. HE SAID SEND IT IN IMMEDIATLEY...AND LET'S FIND OUT what it is made of.
He quickly offered to help me sell this coin...he is very kind. However, this new find needs answers such as what is its composition? What elements does it contain? He said he likes PCGS, BUT, he said NCG are also good. Will these companies list the elements the coin contains? Who should I send it to?
PROVENANCE: The provenance behind this penny is quite a story. It has been in my husbands grade school milk carton (along with all his special items as a kid, like a plastic army man, beads, part of a dollar, shell casings from his dad getting a turkey, rocks, and this penny. There is more to this story....when my father passed away in 2008, I inherited his coin collection.
Now I am a true coin fan. One day, my husband saw me going thru the collection, marking some wheat pennies, and it was only a few weeks ago he told me about this strange looking penny he had as a kid. He pulled his "Milk Carton" (for those who are too young to remember, they were the square hard plastic red and white cartons we got with our lunches, filled with Milk. You squeezed (or ripped) them to open and put your straw in. Anyway, he cut his carton, and kept it at home for his special stuff. He went to the basement, and got it out of a box with his childhood memorabilia and brought it upstairs to me.
I viewed it, and asked him why were there a few scratches on each side, and he said he was bored during class, noticed that the penny did not look right, and so he scratched it. Ok, he was only a kid, so we will move past that...at least he did not scratch any of the writing or face of Lincoln...here is the kicker...Where he scratched the coin it shows silver color. No copper.
I called NCGS and was told to take it to a registered shop and have them authenticate it. Well, it passed, as I said earlier. The dealer was so amazed by this penny. He told me it is a true Penny. I asked should I send it in, and he said, YES, ASAP. He asked me to let him know what the finding are, and that he would love to sell it for me. One question for all of you experts...should this penny be valuable...how should my husband and I go about selling this rare find? We have no idea. I saw in an article the name "Heritage" mentioned, but I have no additional information.
I guarantee that if anyone reads this, you know more than we do. I am just a beginner...
Thank you for your help.
Oh, that penny has been in his milk carton since 1973.....quite a true story about our 1972 D Silver color penny. More information later when the results are in...I wish I knew which location to send it to. Please, reply... penny enthusiasts...we need help.
Girldly

 

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I can't help you much but, here's what the red book says. "Other experimental pieces were struck in bronze-clad steel." Check to see if it's magnetic. Also could we see pictures. It's a shame it's scratched

 

Welcome to CT Girdly.

Lincoln cents were all copper until 1982 when the mint started producing copper plated zinc cents. Now there are a few known aluminum cents that have come to light recently after being in hiding for many years. These were never intended to be released by the government and are subject to confiscation as stolen property of the government. I suppose it is possible that you could have a copper coated aluminum cent or copper coated steel cent, but I'd consider the odds of that worse than winning the lottery a few times in a row.

Could you post a couple of images so that we may be able to give you a better idea of what you have? If I had to speculate though, you likely have the result of a science experiment.

 

Yes, its magnetic. I will upload photo as soon as my husband gets home tomorrow. He has my camera. He has my cell phone too.
I don't think I took any photos, but I will look. It needs to be posted, agreed. The scratches are not too bad, fortunately, but since he was only a kid, I am surprised it looks as good as it does. It really looks great (that is what the guy said at the coin shop too).

 

Its magnetic, and I don't believe there is copper underneath due to my husbands scratches. All I know is that the expert at the coin shop sure was interested....really interested. He is an expert too. Maybe we did hit the lottery....ha ha
I will see if I have any photos of it. If not, they will be posted by 7:00 p.m. tomorrow nite. Thank you for welcoming me to this great site and you kind people.
I appreciate you writing me back. Who should I send it to??? PCG OR NCG?

 

PCGS and NGC are both very respected, so there really is no market preference to speak of. Some swear by PCGS while others like NGC.

 

What is the red book? I imagine that there were lots of experiments prior to them going aluminum. Mine is magnetic enough to be picked up with a cheap magnet...
would a bronze-clad steel make it worthless?

 

Well, one you have to join, and the other is 10.00. Do both determine what the elements are in the coin?

 

Just bring it to a local dealer and ask them submit it for you. Most of them would be happy to add it to their normal submission and they will know how to do it. The grading companies don't really make the process very easy.

 

Good Idea. Thank you.

 

What is funny is the fact that I have a photo of his milk carton, yet, no photo of the coin. I guess when I took this photo I thought it was cute. I will show the best photos possible tomorrow as soon as he brings my camera home. Thanks so much everyone.

 

These three pennies represent a 1971, 72, and 73. Does anyone see what my thread initially spoke of? I would like to know, why is it so different? When I read someone wrote a science experiment - from who? My husband had this a little boy in grade school, he kept in his milk box. He thought it was neat. I did take it to the coin shop, who is authorized to look at the coin (an official shop), he offered to sell it for me, and was a very kind man. My intention was to see if I should have it sent in and he said, Definitely. So, its on its way now. I guess soon we will see why my
husband found this coin so neat - and what it is made of - and if it was a pre-test penny prior to the aluminum. The man in the coin shop said it was a real penny, and could be used in any monetary way. He, like me, had no idea why it was not made like the others of the time. I will keep everyone posted. The obverse is like the other two, only the color is silver/pewter like the front.
Now that the photo is posted, anyone have any thoughts? Girldly

 

The picture has been posted. Girldly

 

What is the accurate weight? You said it weighed less. How much?

 

I'll get the exact weight when it gets back from the Grading.

 

Good luck. I hope it ends up a treasure and not a chemistry experiment.

 

It sounds like it was struck on a planchet meant for another coin. The US Mint struck coinage for not only the US, but for other nations, too, and sometimes coins are struck on the wrong metal. That scratch on the surface, however, has reduced the value of the piece by an enormous percentage.

 

Yes, its magnetic.