Scale Free - Easy Test for Copper/Bronze and Zinc Pennies

So I thought I would share my methodology for easily telling the difference between a copper/bronze and a zinc penny. This is good for finding the different variants for the 1982 pennies, and to try and find any post 1982 pennies that may have been minted on copper/bronze planchets.

Get a known copper penny (1981 or sooner) and a known zinc penny (1983 or later) so you can practice telling the difference. Put the penny on your thumb and flick it into the air, like you're doing a coin toss. The copper/bronze penny will audibly ping/ring while in the air, while the zinc penny will not. Try it a few times until you get the hang of it, but this is a lot easier than using a scale, or a balance. Though this method may not work for the hard of hearing and those lacking in hand-eye coordination.

 

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Heads it will work, tails it won't

 

You can also drop them on a hard surface and the copper will ring while the zinc sounds like the Monty Python question of "What is brown and sounds like a bell" ............dung.