I just found a 1989 penny that is GOLD in color. It almost looks like the same color as the Sakagawea gold coins. Could this be a counterfeit? Or an error? Or maybe it's just in mint condition and hasn't turned the color most pennies do? Anyone have any ideas? Thanks! I will try to post a picture of it tonight.
It's possible that you have a "brassy plating" error. A brassy color is thought to be caused by a copper plating solution saturated with zinc atoms from previous batches of cent planchets. Then again, given the right combination of heat and chemicals, you can turn a cent almost any color imaginable.
Thanks! I had given it to my boyfriend to take to the bank that he works at to see if anyone there might know. Now I'm just waiting for it to be returned. LOL I'll see if he remembers it tonight and I'll take a pic of it this weekend. Thanks for your replies!
I don't even need to post a picture. After further review, it's been decided that it was a penny used in a chemistry experiment and changed to a "gold" or "bronze" penny. Google "gold penny" once... Not that I was expecting to become rich off of it, I was hoping for something a little cooler than the result of a lab experiment. LOL Oh well...it looks pretty!
