Non copper cent ID

Does this happen? Or is this PMD
How do you tell? Weight?
1984 missing copper coating.

 

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looks nice

 

What does it weigh?

Chris

 

2.4g

 

I can't tell if it is real or not, but weight will not tell you anything. The plating is 0.8% of the 2.5 gm. That is 0.02 gm. I believe the standard variation for cent planchet weight is 5% or 0.12 - 6 times the weight of the plating.

 

See! That's why I don't make a habit of collecting these little buggers.

Chris

 

FYI, the proper numismatic term is "cent". You have now received 1 demerit.

 

buggersbuggersbuggers EDITED : etc. etc.

 

Posts removed. Please do not hijack the thread once you run out of constructive comments. Thanks

 

CR, I suspect it is a normal cent that has been expose to zinc in a way to plate it, such as a chemistry experiment. Google 'make a gold or silver cent'

 

How would one tell if mint error or PMD?

 

Methods without causing damage, such as a scratch to see if copper is beneath the outer surface would be more than I would want to spend if it was mine, and also there appears to be copperish coloration on portions of the coin, which resembles some of the lab coins when the students don't do the experiment as per directions. I believe there are a lot more 'made' cents like this than mint error.

 

Your seeing my skin color off the plastic from holding the iPhone/camera.

What if I had my LCS hit it with the XRF spectrometer? If no copper is present it would be a mint error? As a zinc coated cent would show copper present?

 

XRF spectrometer produces primary x-rays which cause the atoms it hits to produce "fluorescent X-Rays" to penetrate through and escape from the sample which itself depends again on their energy levels. Copper, gold , and silver produce medium high energy response, zinc much lower. If their machine can detect copper through a thin film of zinc, then obviously it is just a plated cent, if it only picks up the zinc and no copper, then (1) the power is insufficient (2) it is only zinc and show zinc through all power levels~ then it is more likely to be an error.

Many XRF machines used by pawn shops, bullion exchanges do not have the power or resolution to go very deep beyond the surface, so many questions rely on specific gravity (SG) differences, which estimates the whole sample, but with the post 1982 having so little copper anyway, SG measurements would be within tolerances either way.

Locally, the dealers charge $50 for a single XRF test, so I would send it into a TPG instead and let them decide. Best of luck. If you live near a large university, ask in the geology/mineralogy dept if they have equipment. Jim

 

Thank you for your reply, very neat Info on how the XRF works. It's all magic to me.


Both of the LCS have nice setups, I'll swing by this week and get it tested.
I would steer clear of any establishment that tried to hustle me and charge a fee to test a item I'm interested in selling. A test that takes two seconds and provides them valuable info On the item.

 

I will give you one more option. Not sure just where you live, but if you know or know of a good honest dealer, there would be a good chance he could save you a bunch of time and it should be free.

 

Think like its a camera, in that there are different levels of ability. Hand held units are usually low powered, to protect the user, and mainly only test the very outer surface. That is why even the largest of units can not be used to test gold bars all of the way through if they are more than 1/4- 1/2 thick. Rlm's idea is a good one also. Most of the time an experienced numismatist can detect a plating job.

 

Drum Roll.....
Copper....it be.......
Thanks for the responses.

 

I have been told by a Lincoln expert that looked at my partially plated cent that it's the presence of luster/struck surface on the zinc that is the diagnostic. Lincolns that had their copper chemically stripped show no luster--but I'm not qualified to judge yours. Here's a partially plated cent I found:

 

This is true, BUT zinc is very reactive and if a non plated cent isn't put away in proper storage when new or if it circulates a bit the reacting zinc surface can also remove the luster as well. So luster can prove a non-plated zinc cent, but the lack of luster can't disprove one.