Newbie...think i may have found a rare coin

Hey all...im new to the forum...and I think I may have found a rare penny. I was going through my knife collection tonight when i found a 1975 penny in there that is silver in color. It's not magnetic, its lighter than the regular copper pennies, and looks exactly the same as any other penny. I'm not exactly new to penny collecting i used to do it when i was 9 or 10 years old...and im 18 now. I remember putting the penny in there but i just forgot about it over time. The penny is in real good shape...has a few scratches on it and stuff...but heck it is 30 years old so i'd imagine it would..lol. If you have any info about it for me i would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks

 

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Would you get the weight??? it might be a cent struck on a dime planchet but more than likely it might be plated or something a kid has done...

Also if you can post good photos of the coin...

Speedy

 

Do you have a scanner on your PC?, its a start to show us.

 

Welcome to the forum. It might be another aluminum cent, although I think they were all dated 1974.

Charlie

 

I'm here, and you're right.

They did do another experimental striking of 1975 dated aluminum cents. But they only struck 15 pieces, not 1.5 million like they did of the 1974's. Supposedly all of the 1975's were destroyed so that would be a REAL find.

Like Speedy says, what we really need is an accurate weight. Until we have that anything we say is just wild guessing with no solid data.

 

ok well i scanned it on my moms scanner on her computer...once i get them transferred from her computer to mine i will post pics of it.
Ummm...lol how would i go about weighing it? i dont think i have a scale that measures that small
Thanks everyone...i'll brb here in a bit once i get the pics on here

 

ok i got some pics uploaded...to get a better picture of them do this...right click on it...click save as...and save it to the desktop or where ever...then open it up and zoom in on it a couple times. It's actually a pretty good pic once you zoom in on it. EDIT: or you can just click on it at the website...lol
Ok heres the front of it http://img382.imageshack.us/my.php?image=scan00011ra.jpg

And heres the back of it http://img382.imageshack.us/my.php?image=scan00022fe.jpg

Thanks.

 

So whats the consensus? Is the kid a millionaire or not? The stairs on the Lincoln memorial look non-existant.

Ruben

 

Wow! You mean i could have been a millionaire the past 8 years or so and not even known it!? I just looked at it again and the stairs are there but they are very faint like they were wore off over the years or something. My first thought when i found it was aluminum because...well i dont know it feels different and lighter to me. But then i figured no way i have never heard of an aluminum penny. My dad or my mom has never seen one like that before (except of course the 1943 pennies). It also sounds different than a regular penny when i drop it on my kitchen table. I compared it to a regular 1976 copper penny and it has more of a "pong" sound while the 1975 penny makes more of a "ping" sound.
Thanks.

 

to CoinTalk Redneck.

A quick way to tell if how it compares to a regular CENT (pennies are English or other Commonwealth country's coins), is the popsicle stick/pencil balance. Place a regular wooden pencil on your desk, and place a popsicle stick, or any similar flat piece, on top. Adust the length until the stick balances perfectly, then place a regular cent exactly at one end of the stick, and the questioned piece on the other end. If they balance, they weigh the same. If not, the one that touches the table is heavier.

BTW, doing >> this << doesn't add any measurable weight.

 

Well...we still need a weight before we can say much....also....since this would be the first one known for this date I don't know how we could tell 100% for sure...unless if they are the same weight as a 1974 aluminum cent and I'm not sure about that

But don't clean it and hold it by the edge (or rim) and don't keep droping it

Can you get better photos???...I mean like already zoom into them before taking the photo??...that would be a great help

Not right now untill it can be proved---and that would take some time...

Like I said...get it weighted and let us know...it may be plated or it may have had acid put on it....who knows....its kindof like the Brass Cent in the Error forum right now...no one can say for 100% sure that it is real or not...and I think even experts are going to have a hard time on it....so as I said over there....don't count your ducks before they come out of the egg....

Speedy

 

Hi All,
Here are the same pics without all the background. They are not clear enough to tell anything.
Have Fun,
Bill

 

I've just read on a couple different places on the internet and it said the goverment was confiscating all aluminum coins that were made? That aint cool. I read that a 1974 aluminum penny weighed .93 grams here http://www.icgcoin.com/p050701.htm
That may not be accurate info but i guess it's just something to look at. So im probably going to take it somewhere tomorrow after work to get it weighed.
Thanks.

 

Welcome to the forum redneck, I hope it's the real thing and you have found the one that escaped the melting pot.

 

It might just be the photo's but from how I can see it, there is no way this is real. the stairs on the memorial are completely blank. That would imply some plating.

Ruben

 

I think the coin was electroplated

 

This sounds interesting, I was unaware that the Mint experimented with Aluminum Cents.

 

That would be a super find!.I sure hope it's real.Keep us posted
Al