Copper plating missing on 1989

Wife works at a grocery store calls me up and said I found a steel cent, I was like good find, but told her steel cent isnt worth that much assuming she was talking about 1943, she said no its 1989, well in like I'll look at when you get home. So it's not platted,weighs what a zinc cent should weigh. I'm thinking it was chemical removed since it was in circulation. But here's some pictures

 

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Appears to have been plated IMO.

 

Check the weight. Zinc isn't very shiny, even when fresh.

 

I remember reading a post on this awhile back and remember the guys saying that this I generally the result of a Highschool chemistry class experiment!

 

It's not really shiny, I have/seen plated steel cents and war nickels

 

It weighs under 2.5 grams shotting back and fourth with 2.4 and 2.5 grams

 

Copper plating has been removed. Go into search bar here on CT and you can read for hours on this. Steel cents weigh 2.7 g. And unplated cents weigh will weigh b/t 2.42 and 2.48 g. I suggest looking for microscopic pumps which would suggest chemical removal that affects the zinc.

 

It does look like some spray paint job. If someone tried to remove the copper plating, then the surface will be kinda rough.

 

Painting or replating would add weight not take away if their scale is correct

 

Yes, but 2.4 is not light enough for the missing copper.

 

I think you need to calibrate the scale.

 

Steel plated next to the zinc

 

Steel weight, zinc weight, this is a 100 dollar scale, used to weigh out my daughter's formula with it to have it prepared

 

My best suggestion here is to spend the 30 or 50$ to have it checked out.. Worst case is you have a $50. 01 Cent..

 

That’s terrible advice

 

Point taken ! If I said send it in it's worth 5,000$ would that be good advice?

 

Funny my wife told me to send it, I was like spend 30 dollars to find out it's worth a cent lol

 

It is a chemistry experiment, My students have done hundreds. Worth 1 cent. See step 5

https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/gold-pennies/

 

Lol sometimes we have to listen to reason (in this case your wife). Congrats on the daughter btw!

 

Least I find some cool ones in searching g 1954d fs-501 lds