I have a 1988 Lincoln penny that is the size of a nickel. When I came across this coin, I thought it was a nickel, but it is thinner. It appears to be exactly the same diameter as a nickel. It is a bit thinner than a normal penny also. It appears to be copper, but hard to tell, the reverse has corrosion. It almost looks like a steel penny but a magnet will not stick to it. It also has a different sound when handling it or putting in down on a hard surface. Looking closely you can see the distance between the letters and the rim are greater than a normal penny. I scanned it with a nickel and a normal penny for comparison. Any idea what this is? Is it rare?
It is a real coin but it was damaged by someone after it came from the mint. It's just junk at this point.
Yes, it's a "Texas cent" created by putting a zlincoln between 2 pieces of leather and pounding it with a rubber mallet.
Interesting. I just learned a new bit of coin trivia. Thank you! Now, I wonder why they call that a "Texas cent"? Ha, ha!
Being a Texan myself, let me hazard a guess: It's big, it's based on an illusion and it gets people's hopes up.